In with the New

I wore these to sleep in the other night and my big toe kept getting caught in that hole.  I didn't mind the heel being gone since I didn't feel it unless I was barefooted, but the toe capture was problematic.  I think the problem is that Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn is superwash so it doesn't felt in areas of wear.  It was time to say goodbye to this pair.

I finished this pair from BFL/silk handspun yarn that I bought at Black Sheep last summer and spun last fall.  It's been so warm that I haven't felt like knitting socks.  As always, Charlie had to investigate.

 I've decided to give the Noro Kuryon sock yarn another try, even with the thin bits wearing out at the heels on the socks I've knitted.  I think their colors are fantastic and the socks are so much fun to wear - until they wear out.  This time I'm continuing the traditional slip stitch heel pattern on down to the sole of the heel.  I think that might be the ticket.  I'll get back to you on that.

I finished the Charlie towels today.  This is the first time I've tied onto a steel dowel at the back like Rae does instead of securing with a lead and larkshead knots.  When I cut the warp off, I slid out the dowel and the loom was clear.  I'm hooked - that's my new method.  Seconds - that's all it took.  Thanks Rae!

 This is the hardest part for me.  The towels looks disgusting when they come off the loom.  They're stiff and misshapen, so I decided to get them hemmed and washed right away.  The problem is that I hadn't changed the clock upstairs for daylight savings time and forgot all about it.  I like to relax before dinner and I ended up washing and drying them while I cooked.  They were still pretty ugly after they were washed so I ended up snipping the threads and ironing them after dinner.  I've had more relaxing Sundays.

I'm glad to have them done - it was a fantastic learning experience in block weave.  I'm not sure I'm a fan, but these are going to be thick and thirsty towels.  For one thing, I know that block weave isn't enhanced with a myriad of colors.  If I do it again, I'll choose two colors and stick to it.   The back towel was my experimenting towel, the first one I wove.  The front two will be gifts for our friend who babysits our car and takes us to and from the airport.  There's an error in the threading but that's my spirit in the weaving.  I needed this pattern to get my mojo working.  Thanks Beryl!

I finished Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi last night for book club.  Amazon gave it four stars out of 366 reviews, I gave it five.  How we enjoy a book is always subjective but that book was my cup of tea - I can see why Oprah chose it for her book club.  I think our group is going to have a very good discussion on Tuesday.