Quickest FO

Tonight I finished my quickest FO ever...I think. I started a pair of baby socks on Friday and finished it up earlier this evening. Gotta love these quick knit projects!

To the right you will see a picture of the finished product. They are acutally a little darker than the picture because it was dark outside when I took the photo and didn't have natural light. In other words, I had to use the flash.

OK, here are the stats:

Pattern: Baby to Toddler Sized Socks by Miriam L. Felton (pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn: Chamelion Colorworks Evolution

Colourway: Black Cherry

Needles: Crystal Palace 2.0 mm (US 0) bamboo DPNs

Time taken to knit: 2 days

This pattern is so quick and easy to knit, and I'll definitely be using it again! I also loved working with this yarn. It's so very soft! I'll be using this yarn again in the future as well.

I took a break from the other socks I was working on to knit these baby socks. I do have more of it done though, and am about to start the heel flap on it. I am still on the first sock though, so not a whole lot of progress on that one yet.

Not much else to say. School is finished the 18th of July, then we have a week off before we do a week of Summer Camp. Still don't know if I'll be working the first week or so of school when it starts up in August or not. I guess I'll find out the closer it gets to the time.

Heading off now. Happy knitting, all!

P.S. Ten weeks from today I'll be flying home! Woot!!

It's All About The Socks

Finally, I finished the Wollmeise Socks I'd been working on. I really enjoyed the pattern and the results. I would definitely make this pattern again! It's a very simple pattern, and very easy to memorize. Please ignore the laundry basket in the picture with the sweater hanging over the side. This was the first time I'd used the timer on my camera and had no idea it was in the shot. But, I suppose it was bound to be since I'm in the little laundry area of my apartment. It's not very wide, and not very big. But, since I wanted some natural light for my picture, this was the only place to go since this is where the only windows in the apartment are. To the right of the picture is the set of doors going into my apartment.

About ten days ago, the first graders (and their teachers) at the middle school I teach at had a field trip to one of the theme parks in Seoul. It's the same one we went to last semester with the second graders at the school. At this time, however, the second graders were on a three day field trip down towards the southern part of the country. As well, the third graders were at another theme park. Anyway, the park we went to is called Seoulland. It's ok, but nothing to brag about in my opinion.

On the bus ride to and from Seoulland, I started (and worked on) another sock. I didn't take the Wollmeise socks because I didn't want to mess up the pattern - and trust me, with thirty odd number of boys on the bus, that would be highly possible. Anyway, here's the new sock I've begun:

It's just a simple, plain knitted sock because I wanted some mindless knitting to do on the bus. The yarn I'm using is Lorna's Laces in the Flamingo Stripe colourway. So far I'm enjoying this yarn, and find it nice and soft to work with. I wasn't sure what to expect with the stripes, and must admit that I thought they'd be wider. I'm totally fine with it being single row stripes though.

I haven't been doing much knitting for awhile because my left shoulder/neck has been bothering me. It had felt like I got a kink in it that wouldn't go away. I think it was the muscle though, and it was bothering me for about nine days when I decided that maybe I should try the accupuncture again. Some of the other teachers were mentioning that it might help. Now, I had accupuncture on my lower back when I first got here and didn't have any problems with it (aside from discovering through it somehow that I was allergic to the "heat" patches I'd been using...you know, the kind with adhesive on the back that you put on like a bandaid and it has stuff in it that "heats" up the location where you place it), so I thought I'd give it another go. I went twice and it did seem to help - the entire procedure though, not just the accupuncture.

First I had the accupuncture done, and they stuck about 15 pins/needles (not sure what you call them) in my back/shoulder area, as well as 4 in my right hand in various places, and one in my right foot. Then they attached some kind of electrical impulse thing to some of them and put the heat lamp (or ultraviolet lamp) on the area. After about 20 minutes they took them out and then I had a very hot pad type thing wrapped on the area. That helped to soothe and relax the muscles. After that they hooked up little suction things for about 5 minutes. There were tubes and they would suck the air out of them with this little contraption. I' don't remember the name of the procedure, but apparently is sucks the "bad blood" out....umm, ok. After they took them off, I was left with about 4 or 5 hickey-like marks on my shoulder blade and up towards my shoulder. My favourite part came last. They attached little suction cup things to the area and turned it on - it was a massage! I don't know what is in it - it if is some sort of little prongs, or water, or what...but it was soooooooooooo relaxing!

Anyway, my shoulder/neck area is feeling a lot better, though since I did some knitting and computer work today, I'm starting to feel the area tighten up. I'll have to apply some heat or something to it to loosen up the muscles again. It's not bad, but if I'm not careful, it might end up that way. I don't want to take any chances.

So, I'm off now to do some writing and work on lesson plans for this week. There are only about 5 weeks of school left now, and the last two are after exams. I really don't know why, but they make the kids go to school for 2 weeks AFTER they finish writing their final exams. Makes no sense to me. Oh well.

Happy Knitting!!

Not Much...

...going on here in South Korea at the moment. I've been slowly working on the second of the Wollmeise socks and have just finished the gusset and about to start the foot. Other than that, I've not done any knitting.

Since Saturday, I've managed to come down with a cold - par for the course for me. I also managed to lose my voice and woke up yesterday morning with none at all. I got to school and went to tell one of my coteachers (who I'd been teaching with that morning) and she went and got permission for me to go back home to rest. I also stayed home today to rest my voice (and myself). I have a bit more of my voice back, but it's cutting in and out.

I keep looking at my recent yarn purchases. I want so much to pull out all the new yarn and start new socks...but I'm limited with my needles here so I can't really do that...unless I make just one sock from each skein from different patterns and then go back later and do the second sock...but I don't want to do that. I also want to start in on the shawl pattern I ordered from the Loopy Ewe in one of my last orders...but I'm holding off because I don't have the right size needles the pattern calls for...I think my knitting has suffered because I don't have my trusty rocking chair to sit in and knit. That is where I do all my knitting when I'm at home in Canada - my rocking chair. I've really missed that since I've been here. I really don't know how I've managed this long without one. I'm soooo looking forward to being able to sit and rock when I get back!

Well, I have just a little over three months til I head back home to Canada. I think some of my yarn will pad my suitcase nicely so that if I have any breakables it should help to cushion them, lol. I will be going home with a lot more yarn than I arrived with...but isn't that the life of a knitter/yarnaholic? My friend Sarah and I are planning a little excursion to Japan (our friend Lorie might go with us too) some time before we leave for Canada, maybe in July or August. I'm really hoping to find a yarn shop when there and get some yarn to pad my suitcase with as well.

So, like I said, there isn't much going on here at the moment. The boys at school are driving me insane and I swear under all this dye, my hair must be totally grey from the stress they give me. I'm convinced they take a class in how to annoy and not respect your foreign English teacher...they are little hellions (well, not all of them, but the majority of them) quite often. But, I will not worry about that; I will focus on the fact that school is nearly done and then I'll have a week or so of summer camps to teach and then some time off and then head home!

Not much else to say, other than I'm looking forward to starting my B.Ed. courses in the fall when I get back home. It will be a lot of work though, but I'm sure I'm being prepared for that with this current job in Korea.

Happy Knitting!

One Plus One...

...does not always equal two!

This past Thursday I finished the first of my Wollmeise socks, and I must say I am quite pleased with it. Even though it is loose on the sock blocker and looked like it might be rather loose on my foot/leg, it seemed to fit fine...though maybe when I wear them it will be different. But, I'm not worried; I just might have to pull them up a little more often. I have enjoyed working on this sock, and really can't wait til I finish the second one - but that requires to at least start the second one. No, lest you think I am suffering (or about to suffer) from the dreaded SSS - or second sock syndrome - no, that is not the case. I will be casting on for the other sock tomorrow, hopefully.

I had also started (about the same time as I started the Wollmeise socks) a pair of Ainsley Socks (my pattern). They are baby socks. Well, I finished the first one this afternoon and part of it looks great. I discovered a mistake in the pattern which seemed to work fine the first time around, but this time there was one extra stitch in the pattern for the top of the foot. Half of the foot pattern looks fine, the rest doesn't quite match up. So, for the second sock I will not put that one stitch in and see how it looks. I don't think it's too bad though...at any rate, I'll have to go back to my pattern on here after I finish the second one (just to make sure I hadn't made a mistake on this particular sock) and correct the pattern.

One thing I noticed, is that with the size of the sock and the pattern, the colours tended to "pool" (for lack of a better word...though it's not really pooling). Part of the colours (mostly the blue and pink) are on the back of the leg, while the other ones (the greenish/yellowish and blue) tended to be on the front. Doesn't look overly bad though, but it would have been nicer to have had more of a mix throughout.

Anyway, I've been working on my writing some today after finishing the first of the Ainsely socks. I had started working on a novel before I left Canada but haven't done much since arriving in Korea. It's not that I haven't had the time because, believe me, I have. I've just been lazy with it. Well, that and being tired a lot doesn't help either. So, today I decided to pull it out and work on it some more. I found 3 sheets of handwritten pages I had done last semester and typed them onto my new lap top. The rest of my novel is on the old lap top and I need to charge it up and copy it onto my USB key (or whatever those things are called).

Going to head off for now. Hope you all have a great weekend, and happy knitting!

Yarny Goodness

Yup...today is one of those yarny goodness days. I got yarn in the mail - mind you, it's all yarn I ordered from the Loopy Ewe, but that's besides the point.

The two orders I mentioned in my last post came in the mail last week. I get my orders sent to the school I work at because it's much easier to do that. I'm not home during the day when the mailman comes and since the packages are bigger than the little mailboxes we have, I'd have to make an extra trip to the post office. While normally I wouldn't mind going to the post office, the thing about over here in Korea is that the post office (among other places such as the bank) are closed by 4:30...though from what I understand the post office might close by 5:30, but that only leaves me half an hour to get home and get to the post office before it closes, and...well, to make a long story short, the overall best solution is to simply have the packages sent to the school address.

So, the picture to the right shows my loot. This is a combination of both orders. In the back you can see the lovely Loopy Ewe tote I received for becoming a Loopy Groupie. I also got a keychain, some yummy peppermint candies (one in each order), yarn and patterns. The patterns I got are as follows: Pretty As A Peacock by Some Knitting Required (a beautiful shawl), Snapdragon Toe-up Socks by Wendy D. Johnson, Chestnut Hill Socks by Lisa Parker (Wildhorse Farm Designs), Grid Lock Socks by Lisa Parker (Wildhorse Farm Designs), and Lacy Pillars Socks A Loopy Groupie Sock Pattern designed by Debbie O'Neill (which I guess I got for becoming a Loopy Groupie - sorry can't find a link for it).

The yarn is as follows: Chameleon Color Works Evolution in black cherry (somehow I messed up my order and only ordered 1 skein instead of 2 so I will make something small with it - or some baby/toddler socks - 2nd from right), Baby Boo by Numma Numma in the apricots with mixed fruit colourway (3rd from left), Superwash Me - Sock by J. Knits in the colourway ac#124 (2nd from left), my second skein of Alpaca with a Twist Fino in the same colourway and lot number as the skein in the previous post (this is the second one I needed so I could make the Pretty As A Peacock shawl) (1st on the left), Fannie's Fingering Weight in the Rhapsody colourway (1st on the right), and finally I love whomever it was who cancelled her order the day they were packing mine up. I had ordered Chameleon color Works Bambino in the Purple Rain colourway (3rd from right). I was originally told (via email) that they were sold out but put the colourway on my wishlist. I was fine with that. Then a day or so later I received another email saying that someone had cancelled her order and so they adjusted mine to include the Purple Rain! Woot!

Forgive the horrible picture above, but that's me holding the Purple Rain. It looks like I have no makeup on and I'm as pale as a ghost...however, I do have makeup on, though it's probably worn off since this picture was taken after I got home from work. As far as paleness goes - well, that's just natural, lol. Again, sorry for the horrible pic!

So, in other news, I'm still working on the Wollmeise socks. They are knitting up fast when I can find the time to work on them. I'm also doing them on size 2.7 (odd size but they are needles I got in Seoul and they didn't have the standard sizes on them...I think it's the closest to a 2.75 size though). The sock is turning out a little loose I think, but that's ok. I really like this pattern and it's knitting up nicely. I really like the way it looks in this colourway too. Currently, I'm on the foot of the first sock, nearly half way to the toe. I'll also include a closeup of how the pattern is looking.

I gotta hand it to Monica, she's got some pretty awesome patterns created! I don't know how she does it, but way to go, Monica!

New Sock

I have begun my latest sock. Ok, actually I have begun two of them. One I forgot to take a picture of, but with my left over Fleece Artist yarn from the pair in my previous post, I thought I might have enough for a pair of baby socks, so I am working on my Ainsley Sock pattern with that.


For me, however, I have started in on Monica's Wollmeise Sock pattern. I am using the Trekking yarn I got not long ago from the Loopy Ewe, as I thought that might look good with this pattern. So far, I must say, I do like the yarn and the pattern. The pattern is real simple and easy to knit.


So far, I have the cuff and about 4 repeats of the pattern. In the picture I don't have quite that much done though. The cuff was knit yesterday on the train to Seoul, and the first two repeats were done on the way back from Seoul today. It didn't take the entire trip to do the two repeats, but I was a little tired so I put the knitting away and dozed off some.


Seoul was great this weekend. My friend Tamara and I went with our other friend Sarah because she was going to the James Blunt concert at the Olympic Park stadium. Sarah didn't want to navigate the subways alone, and since Tamara knows them fairly well, we went along. Tamara and I were going to head back to Yesan after Sarah went to the concert, but when Sarah was getting her ticket, we checked and there were still seats left. So, impulsively, Tamara and I bought tickets too. The funny thing is, Sarah had ordered hers a week or two ago online and got in one section and ours was, naturally, in another section. Well, turns out the put Sarah in our section as well (for some reason they said it's the same section, but it isn't...oh well). The funny part, is that Tamara's and my seats were about 3 rows in front of Sarah. Poor Sarah is a huge James Blunt fan and we got closer than her. Tamara likes his music too, and I've actually only heard one song (Beautiful). They convinced me to go saying his music is great. I took their word for it and went.


Well, I really enjoyed the concert. I really enjoy his music. I bought both his CDs after the concert. I. Am. A. Fan. And, oohhh those eyes! And, oohhh that accent! I'm really glad I was impulsive and bought a ticket. We ended up not coming back to Yesan until this afternoon, but that wasn't a problem. We got a half decently priced and clean hotel in Seoul and took the 12:40 train back. Unfortunately we lost out on the tickets we had purchased yesterday for our return last night, but oh well.


Anyway, better head off. Still have to do up a lesson plan for tomorrow. Happy knitting!

Latest FO and More Yarn

I finally completed my latest socks this past Sunday, but didn't get
around to taking the picture until today. These are made with Fleece Artist yarn, though I don't know the colourway. I bought the yarn from London-Wul last year, sometime before I left for Korea (quite possibly in the late spring or early summer). Anyway, there was no colour name on the label, and I don't know if there was a number associated with it or not. Sorry about the picture. I had to use the flash so the colours look a little washed out.

I really enjoyed using the Fleece Artist and look forward to knitting with it again. I have another ball in my stash, here in Korea, and can't wait to use it. I have it assigned to one of Monica's patterns I got from the Loopy Ewe late last year. I just need to dig through my stuff and see if I brought my smaller cable needle with me and if not will have to try to find one here. Then I can start that pattern.

I want so much to be a Loopy Groupie so I had to put another order in as I'm almost there...I think I have just one more to go and I achieve that status. Why do I want to be a Loopy Groupie? All the cool kids are doing it and I so desire to be a cool kid!

Anyway, the yarn I got in this order from the Loopy Ewe consists of 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces in the Apple Hill (#108) and a skein (or is it a hank? I never know the difference between the two) of Fino by Alpaca with a Twist (70% baby alpaca/30% silk) in the Coral Gables (#5011) colourway. I have decided I want to make a shawl and that is what I decided to use with it. This isn't a colour I'm usually drawn to, but I think it will look nice in a shawl. The colour in the picture is a little lighter, due to the flash. I've since put in an order (again at the Loopy Ewe) for a couple patterns and had to order another skein/hank of this same yarn (hoping Sheri still has one with the same dye lot) because the shawl pattern I ordered in this next order requires 1000 yards, and this one skein/hank is only 875. I also ordered a couple of sock patterns because a girl (or guy) can never have too many sock patterns!

Here's another pic of the yarn using some natural light. I took the pic on my washing machine with my new (as of last Wednesday) African violet. The colours still lok a little light, though they are much closer to the actual colours. In the Lorna's Laces, what looks to be a dark pink is actually closer to a reddish colour. I have no idea if this yarn will produce a striped pattern or not, so I'm anxious to see how it knits up.


Tomorrow at school there is an English competition for the students. I was told today after work, while waiting for my drive, that I am to be a judge at the competition. That's right...told. Not asked. I really don't mind doing it, but the polite thing would be to ask me if I would be willing to help out, not tell me I have to. I mean, what if I had an appointment or had plans made and couldn't do it...then they'd be stuck. I assume the Korean English teachers will be doing judging too - I don't think I'm the only one, but who knows. When my co-teacher mentioned this to me (she was telling me someone else was going to drive me home because, "I'm very busy preparing for the English competition tomorrow afternoon. You're one of the referees."), I told her that this was the first I'd heard of this. She chuckled and said she should have told me earlier but she had forgot. Hey, not I'm just as guilty as the next person for forgetting things so I can't get mad about that. However, to tell me that I am a "referee" without my prior knowledge of this is just a little too...hmm, what's the word...assumptive(if that is even a word)? At least they didn't tell me last minute like has happened in different situations before (like 15 minutes before a class starts, which previously I had none scheduled, telling me I have a class that was switched with another teacher the week previously and that it was rescheduled to that day...and then leaving me totally unprepared to teach because I had no idea that was when it was rescheduled for...). And, I really don't mind doing it...just don't care for the way they went about recruiting me...


So, other than work, there hasn't been too much going on. I'm bored and am looking forward to going back home at the beginning of September. It's not that I dislike it here in Korea, it's just things I miss (aside from family and friends) like conveniences, name brands I'm used to, food I like and can eat, clothes that will actually fit me and not be made for a really tiny person with no curves whatsoever...things like that. I know when I go back there will be people I miss and even some parts of the country and culture, but in all honesty, I'm really looking forward to getting back to what I know.


And on the plus side of coming home....cheaper shipping rates, quicker receiving of packages, and being able to shop at my LYS (and the new one that just opened up before I left and didn't get a chance to shop at)!


Must go for now. Happy knitting to all!

Edited to add: The sock blockers in the first picture with the socks are also a purchase from the Loopy Ewe in the order with the Lorna's Laces and Alpaca with a Twist...forgot to mention that before.

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!

More Yarn

Well, I had to put in another order for sock yarn with The Loopy Ewe. I felt the need to get more and build up my stash here in Korea. So, since I also needed to get some size 2.0mm (US 0) DPNs, I thought I'd get yarn while I was at it. None of this yarn, well with the exception of one of them, I have used before. The one I have used is Trekking. Well, I should say that I started on a pair of socks with some Trekking before I left for Korea and didn't get them finished. The Trekking is in the upper right, and it is colour 159. I think it might look good with a small cable pattern, but I could be wrong.

The yarn to the left is Araucania ranco Multi, in the Peacock colourway (colour number 304). Not sure what kind of pattern I will use with this though. The third skein/hank of yarn in the middle is Lime & Violet Sasquatch Sock in the Buster Keaton colourway.

The needles are Crystal Palace bamboo, size 2.0mm (US 0). There were also some Hershey's kisses included in my order...mmmm, chocolate!

Like I said, I haven't used these yarns (except Trekking) before, and I haven't heard anyone's thoughts or experiences with them. I do hope they are good yarns to work with. I'm looking forward to knitting them up.

Here is my progress on the latest sock I'm working on. It's just a plain knitted sock in Fleece Artist. I like the colours in it, and it's knitting up nicely. I'm up to the heel at the moment (first sock). I had knit the heel, but realized the pattern I was following to do the heel had less stitches and it didn't turn out right; needless to say I ripped it out and am just waiting to do the heel and move on to the gusset. The colours are a little darker than the picture shows, and the blues are a little more dominant than the pinks and whites.

I have been sick, yet again, here in Korea. It seems ever since I got here I've had a cold every single month except January. The current cold has been dragging on for 2 weeks now and twice it felt like it was starting to go away only to come back a little worse. Well, last night it started to get a little worse again, and by this morning (into my second class) I was feeling a lot worse. I was stuffed up, my nose was running, I was sneezing, coughing, had a headache, and ended up with a fever and chills. My co-teacher had said that if I wanted, she'd take me to the doctor. Well, with the schedule I had today (and hers) that turned out to be impossible. I had 6 classes to teach, plus a meeting after school. About 20 minutes before lunch was over, my co-teacher comes over to me and says that we have a class to teach after lunch. Normally I don't have a class that period, but this was rescheduled from last week. Well, I wish I had some notice because I didn't have anything prepared for it. I already taught this class earlier in the week so I couldn't do this weeks lesson again with them.

Well, to make a long story short, after we got to the class and I had asked the kids how they were doing, she walked over to me and said if I wanted, she'd do the class by herself and I could go back to my desk because I didn't look very well. Duh! I'm barely functioning and you all know I'm really sick today...but I couldn't have gone home even if i wanted to. For some strange reason, the Koreans don't seem to like to miss work and are always there. They expect everyone else to be there too. But in all honesty, they should have told me to go home. If I had asked, no doubt they wouldn't have allowed it because they need someone to teach my classes. I don't think the coteachers would have wanted to unless they had to...like if I had lost my voice (like what happened last November or December). Oh well. I came home with a fever and went right to bed and slept until nearly 10pm tonight. I'm still feeling a little crappy, and my sinuses are really hurting...my head is starting to ache again, particularly when I cough. Thankfully though, I don't feel like I have the fever anymore.

I do hope I get over this soon. I'm really sick and tired of getting sick every month. It makes me want to go home now. I'm never sick this often back home in Canada. I'm convinced it's the different germs and viruses that I'm not used to.

Anyway, I'll stop ranting like a raving lunatic now. 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!

I'm Back!

Well, I am finally back from my awesome trip to Egypt. We flew in on Monday evening and I've been trying to get reaccustomed to the Korean time zone, which is seven hours ahead of the Egyptian time zone.

I had a great time, and never imagined that I would ever visit Egypt. I think of the whole trip my two favourite places we visted were the pyramids and sphinx in Giza, and climbing to the top of Mount Sinai. Here is one of the pyramids in Giza. It was so amazing to actually be standing in front of something I had only ever seen in magazines or on TV. I got a couple of pictures where I am standing on one of the rocks used in the the pyramids. Let me tell you, those things are HUGE!

We decided to visit the pyramids/sphinx via camel. What an experience that was! I actually enjoyed this even though it was rather awkward at first. It's much easier when they are walking on the sand than when they were walking on pavement (we had to go from the camel renting place down a couple of small roads before we got to the entry way to the desert to go to the pyramids).

There is so much to tell about this trip that I don't know where to begin or what to say. I will be blogging about it on my other blog soon though and will try to put other pictures there too. I'll also be posting all (or the majority) of the nearly 500 pictures I took on facebook, so if you are on there you can see them as well (if you are on facebook, feel free to add me as a friend and just let me know who you are).

I didn't take any knitting with me because I didn't want to take the chance at not being allowed to bring it on the plane. I had checked out the website for the airline we flew on (Emirates Air) but there was nothing I could find that said yes or no to bringing knitting needles on the plane. It's been so long since I picked up my knitting - since way back in January - and as soon as I am rested up I'll pick them up again. The only problem is school starts back up on Monday...

Ok...this is just a little tease of a post. As I said, more pics are up on Facebook, and I'll be blogging about the trip more in detail on my other blog...just give me a day or so to start doing that (will try to do this tomorrow). I'm actually starting to feel tired now and I want to go to bed so I can try to get myself back on schedule so I won't be up all night and try to teach the next day without sleep. I'll be back again very soon to tell you a little more about the trip.

Just For Fun

I got this off one of the writing blogs I visit. I'm sure it's made its rounds in the knittingsphere as well though. If you decide to do this meme, please let me know in the comments so I can visit your blog and read your answers!

You. Can. Only. Type. One. Word. (not as easy as you might think!)

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? non-existant
3. Your hair? straight
4. Your mother? caring
5. Your father? kind
6. Your favorite thing? laptop
7. Your dream last night? boring
8. Your favorite drink? Pepsi
9. Your dream/goal? marriage/motherhood
10. The room you're in? small
11. Your ex? gone
12. Your fear? alone
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? successful
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? thin
16. Muffins? cranberry-lemon
17. One of your wish list items? ball-winder
18. Where you grew up? Ontario
19. The last thing you did? blog
20. What are you wearing? clothes
21. Your TV? House
22. Your pets? cat
23. Your computer? borrowed
24. Your life? boring
25. Your mood? good
26. Missing someone? family
27. Your car? sold
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite Store? yarn
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? dunno
32. Your favorite color? purple
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? dunno
35. Your favorite animal? cat
36. Last thing you ate? soup
37. Dream vacation spot? Scotland


Sorry no new knitting content...other than to say I've started a pair of plain stocking stitch socks to do in front of the tv so I don't make any mistakes. I'm using the Claudia's Hand Painted in the Pink Cloud colourway.

Finished Socks

Well, I finally have the Yukon Leaves Socks finished! I finished knitting them up this afternoon, and had been working on them the past few days.

I used the KPPPM yarn and size 2.75 mm bamboo needles. I didn't modify the pattern any. I did make these socks about an inch shorter than normal because I was afraid I might run out of yarn. I have yarn left over though, so I probably could have done at least one more repeat of the pattern in the legs.

I like this colourway (sorry, can't remember the number) and it's not one I would normally gravitate towards. I'm glad I bought it though because I like the way it knit up.

On the second sock, I think I messed up the heel a little bit because it doesn't fit quite right. I'll have to just pull it a bit to make it feel right though, and it shouldn't be too uncomfortable to wear. I might take these socks with me to Egypt to wear on the climb up Mt. Sinai because we do that at night so we are at the top to watch the sunrise. Apparently it can get cold up there at night, so these should hopefully keep my feet warm.

I've started on another pair of socks. This one is the November sock club kit from Robyn's Nest sock club. The pattern is Jolene and it looks really nice. The yarn is nice and bright (there is a picture of it a few posts down), and while I've only got the cuff done on the first sock so far, I like the colours and the way it is knitting up. The only thing that gave me disappointment while winding the yarn into a ball was the fact that I came across two knots in the yarn. Hopefully they won't end up on the bottom of the feet of the socks...

I haven't been working on the Seafoam Scarf lately because I've been focusing on the Yukon Leaves socks, wanting to get those completed. I also think I'm going to have to head to the yarn store here and see if they have any more of the yarn I'm using left. I don't expect there to be any problem because it's just a small store and they don't seem to look like they are too busy. I could be wrong though, but I am hoping I'll be able to get one more ball, which is all I should need. I hope to get a picture of the scarf soon to show; didn't think to take one today when I took the pics of the socks.

Well, just wanted to post a little update. Need to look into seeing if the airline we are flying to Egypt on will allow knitting needles on the plane or not. I do hope so because we are going to have a rather long flight. I just hope my back doesn't act up like it was on the flight here to Korea (though my back was sore before getting on the plane, however I think it was aggrivated by having to sit so long). Anyway, I hope to get more written here soon. Hope you all have a fantastic day. Happy knitting!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've posted to this blog. I guess I felt that I needed a post with pictures and/or knitting updates, and I just haven't had much until now.

I'm still working on the Yukon Leaves socks, albeit slowly. I got to a certain point and realized I made a mistake somewhere in that particular line and I just haven't gotten around to figuring out where it is and going back to fix it. I had hoped to get those socks done before the end of 2007, but sadly it didn't work out that way.

Well, I just haven't been getting much knitting in lately. However, the last few days...well, really, since Christmas...I have been doing more knitting than usual. It's gotten colder here in Korea and we finally have a little bit of snow, though not a whole lot. Here you can see what we do have - though we have gotten a little more since this picture was taken two days ago (not much more). This is the view out my window. It's a lovely parking lot don't you think? You can sort of see someone walking into the other building in this picture.

Anyway, with the cold and snow I figured I should get my corrugator scarf finished so I could have something to wear. Well, today I finally finished it. It's not blocked or anything, and I honestly don't know if I will. I don't think it really needs it, other than to maybe give it a bit more in the width. I also don't have anywhere to pin it - or even pins to pin it down with. I will make due though.

I also started a new scarf...didn't get a picture of it taken yet though. I'm using the last ball of the yarn I made the Corrugator scarf with (I used two balls for that). I have the details on Ravelry for the yarn. Anyway, I'm doing the Seafoam Scarf and have about four or five repeats done so far. I'm using size US 8 bamboo needles that I got from Robyn's Nest (link on sidebar), and I think it is making the pattern a little looser with this yarn. That's ok though because the needle's I used with the Corrugator scarf would have made this pattern thin and not wide enough for my liking...though I think this pattern should be blocked when finished, it will probably make it wider than what it is now anyway. I probably won't be able to block it until I get back to Canada though, but I'll still wear it anyway.

For some reason I can't seem to get my pictures uploaded to my email account. I've sent them twice but they aren't showing up. I don't know if they are just taking awhile to get there or what. I'll wait for awhile and post the pictures later.

In other news, I'm heading to Egypt in 30 days with three friends from here - a fellow Canadian, an American, and a Korean. We are going to be touring the country for the month of February and will see the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, take a Nile River cruise, and climb Mt. Sinai among other things. I'm excited but a little scared since other than coming to Korea, I've never done any travelling. Two of my friends are pretty experienced travellers, so they know what to do and all that so I'll just follow their lead. We've got our plane tickets paid for, and will pay for the hotels, tours, etc. (which are all booked) when we get there. I'll definitely be taking pictures and will share them with you :o).

Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas (mine was very quiet and didn't feel like Christmas...my first one being away from my family) and a very happy, healthy New Year!

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!

Jumping On The Bandwagon

I am jumping on the bandwagon! I got my Ravelry invite this morning and I've been checking it out somewhat. I've only got a little bit added (keep in mind that my stash, books, etc. are back home in Canada) since I'm limited on what I have with me for yarn and knitterly things here in Korea. Anyway, I go by Tabby2004 over there, so please feel free to add me as a friend!

On the knitting front, not much to report. I've started into the second Yukon Leaves sock as I may have mentioned before. I just need to sit down and work on it because it won't take long to knit up (it's a fairly easy pattern). I've not started the Dancing Tulips pattern yet because I had to contact Monica about the needle size. It calls for size 0 DPNs, but I don't have those (the smallest I have here is 2.75) and was wondering if the pattern can be adjusted for that. Unfortunately it doesn't look like that is possible, so that pattern will have to go on the back burner for awhile. However, The Victorian Swag socks should be able to be done on the 2.75 needles, so I can start in on those instead. I'll let you know how that goes when I start them.

I just found out on Friday that one of the teachers at school is pregnant and is due next April (or there abouts). I am thinking that I might try to make something for her - a baby sweater perhaps. I've got a bit of time to figure this out though, so I'm not going to rush into it right away.

I actually haven't done too much knitting lately. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch here this past week and haven't been in the mood for much of anything. I'm frustrated and annoyed with a couple of things that are going on, I'm trying to figure out what I'll do when I get back home next September (if it involves going for my B.A. or my M. Div., it will require more schooling and I will have to start applying soon, so I need to start thinking about this), and on top of that I feel like a little depression might be setting in. Doesn't make for a very good combination.

Anyway, just wanted to post a little update (sorry there are no pictures this time) to let you know how things are going, and that I'm not on Ravelry. I have a lot to do today, including coming up with 2 lesson plans for this week so I'd better head off and get things done before I end up wasting my day away and regretting it later tonight. And, I am going to do some knitting today just to relax because I need some relaxation to get my mind off things. Yukon Leaves (or casting on for the Victorian Swags), here I come!

One Down...

Well, I have finally finished the first of my Yukon Leaves socks! I'll have to cast on for the second one and get cracking at it soon...don't want to get second-sock-syndrome!

I am enjoying this pattern. It is an easy knit and doesn't take too long to complete a 12-row section. The only thing I changed from the pattern (other than doing it on 4 needles instead of 5 like it says in the pattern), was to do the normal toe decrease I do on most (or all) of my socks. This one had a totally different way of decreasing and I didn't know if I would like that, so rather than not be satisfied with the outcome, I chose to do the toe decrease I like.


I was afraid I might run out of yarn so I didn't make the leg as long as normal, but with the amount of yarn I had left over I think I would have been safe in doing one more reapeat in the leg and had enough to get through it. Sorry you can't see the pattern so well, but I feel the darker colour is hiding it some. It can be seen pretty good in real life though - just not so well in the pictures.

I am really satisfied with this colourway. I wasn't sure at first if I would like it because it is not something I normally gravitate towards, but while knitting it up I grew to really like it. This is the KPPPM yarn I got in Insa-Dong last month.


On Monday, I got the latest order from The Loopy Ewe. I ordered another one of Monica's patterns - the Victorian Swag Socks, and I think it is going to be really pretty with the yarn I chose. I ordered 2 skeins (or are these called hanks?) of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Flamingo Stripe (507) colourway. I've never used Lorna's Laces, but I've read a lot of good things about it. This yarn feels so soft and skishy (my word for squishy) and I can't wait to work with it. On a little sidenote, sorry for the way the picture is positioned. I tried the "no layout" selection to see how that would work...dont' think I like it because of all the space it leaves around the sides of the picture...


Here's a closeup of the yarn. As per usual, the colours are off a little in the picture. The lark pink is brighter, and the light pink is pinkier than in the picture (which makes it look closer to white). I don't know if this is a self-striping yarn or not, but I'll find out when I knit it up, unless someone mentions it in the comment section.

Also included in my order was a pattern and some yarn for the Loopy's Red Sock Kit, which makes a little sock you can use as an ornament or decoration or little "bag" to present some money or something small to someone. That was a sweet gesture to include it in the order. I'm going to have to knit that up soon as well!

In other news, I finally got my Fleece Artist yarn spaghetti all untangled. I'm using that for the last pattern of Monica's that I bought (Dancing Tulips) and I think it will look pretty in the colours of the yarn - it will look nice and spring-like I think. When I get that one started I'll take a picture to update the progress.

Well, I have today off as the kids who are going to high school next year are writing some sort of entrance exams today so classes at my school are cancelled (yay!). I got some knitting done already, but now I need to do some chores (darn chores). Me and two of my friends in the building (Sarah and Tamara) are going to venture to a Korean hair dresser today and attempt to get our hair cut and possibly coloured (Sarah might go for highlights). I hope it all turns out well for us. Anyway, must get the chores done before I meet the girls in a couple of hours for our excursion into the world of Korean hairdressing!

Happy Knitting!