My husband's Fuzzy Feet:
I had just read an entry from Turtlegirl's Bloggy Thing in which she was making Fuzzy Feet and had chosen to double the yarn for a sturdier slipper. Since my husband has worn holes through his last two pairs (the most recent lasted one winter plus a bit of this one), I decided to try this. I had plenty of Cascade 220 in my chosen color (leftover from Pinup Queen from SnB, which I think I did pre-blog...I should do a Blast from the Past post with my early work--heh heh!) so I started, using size 11 needles and knitting the foot to 11 inches before decreasing for the toe. I felted the heck out of them and they're a bit snug. These loosen up, though. I usually wear them over two pairs of socks while still damp and let them dry.
Pattern: Fuzzy Feet from Knitty
Yarn: Cascade 220 (held doubled) - 2 skeins and a bit of a third - no idea on the color, a dark greeny-blue
Needles: Size 11 for men's feet
Notes: I already went on and on quite recently about loving this pattern and I still do. Doubling has made for an extra thick slipper. We'll see if it keeps them hole-free for longer this time. I knit longer as directed for my husband's longer feet, and the fit is great. I actually finished the knitting on December 31, but felted on January 1. Since only the washer did any work on it today, I'm counting it as a 2007 FO.
And my Branching Out gift scarf:
Pattern: Branching Out from knitty
Yarn: Rowan Cashcotton in Pretty, one skein
Needles: Size 8
Notes: Love the pattern, love the yarn!
Knitting: I started a pair of socks for me with Christmas presents. I got Favorite Socks (an Interweave collection) and Charmed Knits. I also got a box full of delightful yarns, but I think I'll introduce them on my next post.
Reading: I read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. Wow. After I finished it, I sort of sat for a few minutes, then decided I needed to read something fluffy (Died in the Wool by Mary Kruger--thank you, Holly!!!). This is a rather slim (under 250 pages), poetic novel about family secrets and betrayal. It was literally relentless, with no chapter breaks, which made it even more difficult to put down. Three voices are balanced (ambitious for such a short book): Iris, a young woman who discovers she has a great-aunt in an institution (for whom she is now responsible), Esme, a woman committed to an asylum over 60 years ago as a young woman for being difficult and inconvenient for her family, and Kitty, Esme's sister who is now afflicted with Alzheimer's, and always spoke of being an only child. This could easily have been a mess of a book in less capable hands. O'Farrell's writing is stunning and she handles the three voices brilliantly. The book doesn't so much have plot twists as revelations that gradually tease out family secrets to reveal the betrayals of Iris's family. The pacing is flawless. I wanted to find out what had happened, but I didn't really want the book to end. It's haunting and horrifying and beautiful. I can't recommend it enough. To my delight, O'Farrell has written three previous novels, which I will have to look into.
Writing: Ha! I figured out that the person I thought committed the murder didn't actually do it. This is great progress, as I was never that happy with the solution. While my mom is here, I want to re-write the first chapter, which I have loads to change in.
Cooking: Not too much. My dad and I did Christmas dinner. He handled turkey and his famous Macadamia Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and I made Simon & Garfunkel dressing (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, along with apple, onion, celery, and pine nuts--yum, I love dressing), cranberry relish (my Aunt Mindy's recipe with lots of orange), and apple-pear cobbler. I made Black Bean Corn Enchiladas last night (recipe at left).
Lilah has a new cousin (first cousin once removed, I guess). My cousin's wife had her baby on December 27, the day after Lilah turned one, by emergency c-section (mom and baby are fine). They live on opposite coasts for now, but I hope they can meet soon. Welcome to the world, Maggie!
5 comments:
I really hope the doubling gets a year out of them. I hope they do for you as well! Happy New Year!
Happy recent first birthday, Lilah!
And not to be that annoying corrector person, but your cousin's child is YOUR first cousin once removed and Lilah's second cousin. (My mom once explained the way the whole thing works to me and for some reason I remember it perfectly. Too bad the same cannot be said for any academic class I ever took.)
Congrats on the breakthrough in your book and the double-thick fuzzy feet, and thanks for the book recommendation!
Your fuzzy feet look nice and warm, your husband sure goes through them :-)
Branching Out is so pretty, love that pattern.
I love the way your Branching out turned out -- beautiful color! Your brother's girlfriend is going to love it! I've never tried the fuzzy feet, though I might have to now... I wonder if I can adapt it to fit a child... As always, fun to hear about the evolution of the story for your book!
Girlfriend, his fuzzy slippers rock! I love my to death minus the hot pink color I knitted them in. I should knit up another pair in a light grey or light tan color yarn! There is so much I have on my list to knit. So much.
This scarf has to be one of the prettiest you have knit. I know, you have knitted quite a few of them but I love this color and the yarn sounds devine.
YAY! you are knitting socks I hear.xoxo
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