The Yarnarian says that Spring is on its way.

In Morristown, NJ:

Sunrise today: 7:21
Sunset today: 4:36

Yes, Virginia, spring is coming.

Did you try the snowflake maker over on the right? This is so neat to play with.

Here's the URL: http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/

Off to knit.

The Yarnarian obesses about the length of the day. Yet again.

Sunrise and sunset in Morristown, NJ: 7:20 & 4:35 Yes, Virginia, the days will get longer. Hang in there. We are 2 days closer to spring! The day is shorter by a minute in the morning, but longer by a minute at night. So, it's even-Steven, BUT you have a minute more of sunlight at the end of the day, which I like. I can ignore the morning.

I'm ignoring winter this year. As far as I'm concerned, we are two days shorter for spring to arrive. This is just a cold interim.

I hear that Minnesota is getting the mother of all blizzards this week. I hope I can still fly out on Monday. I don't worry much about the runways being cleared. Those folks in the Frozen Northland know all about snow. It's the stranded travelers who worry me. Ah well, if I'm going to obsess about something, this is as good as anything else.

I made it to the doctor yesterday with my eye crud, and yup, you got it: the dreaded conjunctivitis. One year, when the kids were little, we had a case of it where everyone kept reinfecting everyone else. I finally got them to stop touching their eyes, got them to scrub those hands non-stop. Scrubbed my hands raw, and it ended. But that was some mess. It's such a stupid infection. And now that I've turned your poor little tummies, let's chat about Christmas.

For those who celebrate Christmas, are you all set? Presents bought, house decorated? I love Christmas. It's easy for me to love it: I don't celebrate, so I can sit back and enjoy all of it. Indeed, it's my eternal rant about how Jews really ought to get with the program and put up lights outside for Chanukah. I know that this will make a lot of people angry, but lights are lights. Tell me exactly what lights have to do with the birth of Christ? Nada, nothing, gar nicht. No, I don't want a Chanukah bush; I'd rather admire everyone else's.

Yep, we do light the menorah, and set it in the window to be a light unto the nations. But I want more. I want the whole nine yards. On the other hand, I don't want the work of it all, so I'll just drive around and admire.

Oh, and the second part of my annual rant: Could we please have better music for Chanukah? Maos Tzur is lovely, but that's it. The dreidel song is dopey. Admit it, it's really dopey. But then playing dreidel is also dopey. OK, dopey is good, not bad at all. But I want inspiring music. Come to think of it, we have beautiful music for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and those are big holidays. I still want Chanukah carols.

There, annual music and light rant is over. Phew, aren't you relieved.

Pics? Everything is as it was, only longer. I'm trying to finish up the socks and scarf so that I can take something new to Minnesota. Here is the second sock and a close-up of the pattern. I have to admit that the pattern is lovely enough to put it into a shawl.




Here's yesterday's treat to me. Given that there is going to be a mound of the white stuff in Minneapolis, I decided to buy a pair of Uggs. Apparently, in the New York metro area, Uggs are now teen-age style. A pox upon that! They fit, they are warm, and I wanted them. So now I'm a teen-age woman of a certain age. And here's the best part: I'm a size 6 shoe. Kids' size 5 is the same as adult size 6, and $40 cheaper. You know which Ugg I bought!

Remember the leg warmers that the Hubbo found for me? He found another pair. So now I'm set: my usual jeans, woolly socks, leg warmers, Uggs, and my long Lands End down coat. Scarves, ear muffs, hood on coat, warm gloves worn inside a pair of stranded mitts with extended cuffs. Baby, I'm ready for cold and snow. Warm weather is so much easier.



Flower Fairies Sock Club is filling very nicely. If you want to join, there's still space. Check it out on the PennyRose sock club blog.

itsJUSTme-wendy - I love all the Christmas to-do, but I can admire from afar. No shopping or cleaning or cooking or anything of the sort. I sit back and just love it all. My favorite holiday in the Jewish calender is Passover. No presents, but lots of cleaning and cooking and changing dishes, and lots of work. But it is such a wonderful holiday, and I love it!

Basketweave Socks

New Pattern! Well, a lot of people have versions of this, but I like it very very much so here's my pattern!

Basketweave Socks

They look pretty, no matter if they are compressed or stretched to accommodate the foot..

Cuff down.
Gauge: 7.75 sts/inch
Double pointed needles, 2 circular needles, or magic loop needle – your choice. I use 2 circular needles.

Needle size to get my gauge: #1, 2.5mm. You use what works for you.

Yarn: sock weight yarn, approximately 300-400 yards, depending on how big or how long your foot is. A 4 oz skein ought to do it.


Instructions are for a 56 st. sock. If you have a larger foot, use 64 sts.

Pattern: multiple of 8.

Round 1: Knit this round and all alternate rounds.
Round 2: *K2, P5, K1* Continue in this pattern around the sock.
Round 4: Repeat round 2
Round 6: Repeat round 2
Round 8: *P3, K3, P2* Continue in this pattern around the sock.
Round 10: Repeat round 8
Round 12: Repeat round 8

Repeat these 12 rounds for the leg of the sock.

Cast on: 56 sts (64 sts) on whatever needle method you choose. Cast on over 2 needles held together, so that the sock will easily stretch over your foot. Make sure that you don’t twist the yarn. Join the stitches into a circle.

Divide your stitches so that each needle holds a multiple of 8. It’s just easier to knit this way.

Leg: Work a k2, p2 ribbing for 1 inch.
Work in pattern for desired length.

Heel: Arrange stitches so that half of the total stitches are on one needle, and the other half are on the other needle.
For a 56 stitch sock, you will have 28 sts on each needle on 2 circulars; for a 64 stitch sock, you will have 32 stitches on each needle.

Working on either 28 or 32 stitches only, on the heel side, slip the first stitch, and then purl back.

Heel pattern: Row 1: *sl 1, k1* across the row.
Row 2: sl 1, purl across

Proceed with these two rows until you have worked 28 (32) rows.

Turn heel: Row 1: On rt side, k15 (17), ssk, k1. Turn
Row 2: sl 1, p3, p2tog, p1. Turn
Row 3: sl 1, k4, ssk, k1. Turn
Row 4: sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1. Turn
Repeat these rows, always adding one more stitch to the center ones, until you have used up all the stitches. You should end up with 16 (18) stitches.

Heel gusset: On right side of sock, work across the heel stitches. Then pick up 14 (16) stitches. Knit or work in pattern across the instep (the front of the sock). Pick up 14 (16) stitches. In other words: work the gussets and sole of the sock in stockinette. The instep will either be in pattern or in stockinette. Your choice. If you work in pattern, you'll notice that you are one stitch off at the end of the pattern to make it completely symmetrical. It really doesn't matter, but if you want, you can add one stitch at the end of the instep, and then it will be even. Just remember to decrease that stitch when you get to the toe shaping.

To shape the gusset, you will work alternate dec and plain rounds.
Dec round: Work to 3 sts before the end of the back sts. K2tog, k1. Work the instep. Then, at the beginning of the back stitches, k1, ssk, and knit.

Plain round: Knit, working the instep either in pattern or stockinette.

Repeat these 2 rounds, decreasing one stitch at each end of the back stitches every other round until you have 56 (64) stitches left. You will have half of the stitches on one needle, and half on the other.

Foot: Work in pattern or in stockinette until foot is about 1.5 inches before the end.

If you've added that stitch to the instep, decrease it now.

Shape toe: Round 1: K1, ssk, work until 3 sts from the end of the needle, k2tog, k1. Repeat on the other needle.
Round 2: Work plain.

Work these 2 rounds until 10 sts remain on each needle. Finish the sock by grafting the stitches together using the Kitchener stitch.

Weave in your ends. Make the second sock.

P.S. I know. Graphs are so much better. I have a brand new graphing program but it's too advanced for the laptop. NOW you see why I can't wait to get the new hard disk? Well, it's a brainless pattern which you will figure out in a couple of repeats, so I don't feel too guilty.

Yes!!! We have turned the corner!!! Sunrise today was at 7:21!!!

Rants are your friends.

Do you rant? Hubbo and I do it all the time. It's called "creative qvetching", also known as "complaining for the fun of it". We have raised ranting to a fine art. We rant about politics, religious nutcases, certain stores, towns. You name it; we can rant about it.

Here's our favorite rant. There's a town about 1/2 hour away from us. It's a lovely drive there, there's a Coldwater Creek store just outside the town's downtown (there are NO rants about CC!) OK, this town used to have some lovely gift shops, and interesting stores to wander through. All very small but charming. Well, most of them are gone to be replaced with stores with bunnies with long ears in them, stores with overpowering candles, boring jewelry stores, etc. You get the picture. Hell, you probably like these stores; they're very popular. But we are not amused. So every time we drive through the town (usually on the way to Coldwater Creek), we have our rant: "Blank (the name of the town) is not what it used to be." That's it. The entire rant. And then we enjoy wandering through the town, occasionally ranting, but happily enjoying ourselves. And when we leave, we rant again just for good measure.

Speaking of Coldwater Creek, and I am always speaking of Coldwater Creek, I just love CC! The clothes fit, are pretty, and I don't look like mutton dressed up as lamb (now that phrase requires much ranting). I am, in their clothing, a size 4 in pants, and an extra small in the tops. And I'm petite (shrimpo as Hubbo says). Perfect going-to-work clothing. Get ready, here comes a rant! I'm retired, as in I don't go to work any more! So what am I going to do with all their gorgeous jackets and skirts. I live in jeans, nice jeans, but jeans nonetheless. No sweats, I have NOT gone down to that level. Yet. I have an entire wardrobe of lovely professional wear. I don't need any new CC clothing, but I want some (read that with a whine in your voice). Is this not a great rant?

Sunrise, sunset. Not the song, silly.

Sunrise today was at 7:22 AM, and sunset was at 4:41.

No new pictures until our new hard disk arrives at Staples and is installed. Oh well, hardly worth ranting over.