Wednesday, April 25, 2012

DADDY'S RIBBED KNIT SOCKS - PART TWO

Hi everyone,

I don't know about you, but this new Blogger interface is really difficult for me to figure out. Okay, enough about that, let's get to the fun crafty stuff.  This was the progress that I made on my father's ribbed knit socks since I last post here on April 11th.

This is what I did on Sunday:

































I think here the cuff is about 3.5" inches long.  I hadn't done much work on the socks in the last few days. However, this day I decided to really be disciplined about this. Daddy needs new socks.  Oh, yeah, even my father said "That's it? That's all you've done?" YEP.


Our regular ride to church wasn't going that day, so we also stayed home.  Instead of being in church, we watched Pastor Greg Laurie online. I gathered all of my knitting supplies first:








































It really was a lot of fun and really relaxing to be able to knit and listen to a nice message at the same time.  Our regular ride to church wasn't in town today, so that is why we ended up having to stay home. My father will be able to drive again in just a couple of weeks. He's recovered so well from his heart episode back in January.  So this is what we watched this morning. It's Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Riverside, California. You can click here if you'd like to visit their site:
































To my horror...embarassment, I couldn't find my cellphone. It might as well be a lung machine, because I feel like I can't breathe if I don't know where it's located. So my sweet daddy went looking for my cellphone while I'm listening to the sermon. The next thing I know, I look down into my knitting basket and find this:
































It was in my knitting basket all along.  I told my dad right away that "I'd found it"  "What?"  "I found it".."Oh, Heather...(dad shakes his head and tries to frown, but is having a really hard time hiding a laugh and a smile)

These socks are proving to be really challenging.  The difficulty I'm having is figuring out where to increase and decrease the stitches while doing a knit 2, purl 2 rib pattern.  I know there's a way to do it, but I haven't found a satisfactory explanation anywhere.....yet. So that's why I'm kind of winiging it. That's okay. I love experimental knitting.  Maybe that's part of my "rebellious" knitting side. In any case, this is what I had last night, before I got so frustrated with how "wrong" it was turning out:








































So last night while I was watching a re-run of "Hawaii 5-0"...dada da da da da... I unraveled that entire cuff, which by that point had reached almost 8 inches. I started over last night and worked on this some more today. My father, bless his heart, is being really patient.  This is what I have so far:

































That's about it on the crafting front.  I really enjoy writing up a knitting pattern from scratch. It can be aggravating at times, but still a lot of fun.  I have been taking notes as I go along.  When it comes time to knit the second sock, I'll either follow the exact same pattern or alter it, until I find the right "formula" to achieve the look that I"m going after.

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs to you all, Heather

14 comments:

Kristi@LetThisMindBeInYou said...

Oh Heather, I'm so envious of your knitting skills! I can crochet up a storm, but knitting really stumps me. I can usually teach myself new skills, but knitting....not so much.

I love how your socks are turning out! They look great to me!

A Primitive Homestead said...

Knitting is something I have never learned but think the stitches are so beautiful. Good luck you can do it. I like go watch that tv series to. Would love to visit Hawaii. Blessings!
Lara

aimee said...

LOL! Something more we have in common. I can 'lose' my cellphone almost anywhere because it's so lightweight and thin:)
I LOVE the color and pattern of your dad socks! Looking forward to seeing the finished pair.
Glad to hear your dad's recovery has gone so well!
Blessings, Aimee

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I love relaxing with a good sermon at home. I have also seen women take their knitting to church too. Glad you found your phone.

Camille said...

Yaay for a patient Dad! :) So sorry you had to rip out all that work!! Aack! You seem to have a little bit of patient in you too...must be that you are related.

blessings,
Camille

Farmgirl Heidi said...

The socks are going to be so nice Heather. I stained and painted my pantry while listening to the Calvary Chapel radio station online the other day. It was very comforting and relaxing. I even learned a few things. The cellphone ordeal lol. I do that almost every day, lose it. Keys too. It's comical. I have even made a hook for them right by the door, but if I'm rushing inside and forget to put them on it... I'm in trouble. Thanks for sharing your knitting progress. They're really looking nice. Take care,

Heidi

Anonymous said...

Your socks look great, Heather! Glad you found your cell phone. :)

Justine of SewCountryChick said...

I admire your patience for knitting! I agree with you about Bloggers new interface. There is a button on the design dashbord that switches it back to the old one. I switched it back to the old because the new one was too confusing.

A Dusty Frame said...

:) I haven't been knitting lately
;0
I need to get busy!
Lizzie

Angie@Sunny Patch said...

Like you, I enjoy listening a good sermon while doing things with my hands. I like to listen to VCY America (www.vcyamerica.org) and hear the different bible studies, music, etc too.

I'll never get a handle on knitting tho! lol

Annesphamily said...

You are a sweet daughter!

Jessica Heights said...

Wow, you are a fine knitter! You should post some tutorials! :)

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

Hi Heather,
I have never knitted anything ever, so I admire your industriousness! I've been catching up with some of your posts. That tea you attended looked like a wonderful event!

Kim B said...

What wonderful knitting. You are super talented. Glad your dad is doing well. Have a wonderful week. Hugs, Kim