Knitting season is fast approaching

Christmas is my favorite time of year, the snow, the twinkle lights, the magic, the red cups at Starbucks, hey, just being honest.  What I don't love is that Christmas now starts in October and the commercialism of it all and why it's now called 'giftmas'. It is what it is, it's the times we live in etcetera, etcetera, sad, but true.  I will get off my soapbox now. 

The Fisherman tells a story where his younger brothers teacher knit her entire class a Christmas stocking, his brother being in this class received one, he was slightly jealous and still is I think of that.  So, being a knitter, I've decided to rectify this and knit him a Christmas stocking. There was an internal debate, what kind to knit, a serious more traditional one, maybe some kind of gansey motif or something fun like the fornicating deer or penguin? The Fisherman loves Spiderman, so I go onto Ravelry and search for the famous web slinger and low and behold there is a Spiderman sweater!  It's cute really, knit up in blue with red trim, Spidey's face done up in intarsia on one sleeve and a spider web & spider on the other, I've decided to take the Spidey face sleeve and somehow turn that into a stocking to be hung by the chimney with care (there may even be a Deadpool one in my future if all goes well with Spidey).  Pictures to come when I start it. 

I need some ideas for stocking stuffers, gifts I got under control, the stocking stuffers are what throw me, any ideas?  

The Fishermans Socks

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for the weekend.

Boyfriend Socks by Alice Bell
Knit on size 1.5 needles
Yarn: Sundara Sport Merino Two
Color way: Cape Cod Bay


The socks, they are done and best of all, he loves them! They fit well and are warmed than a pair of silk lined socks he once had, and they go well with his robe.

I started a second pair of socks for him yesterday for him, out of Lion Brand Fishermen's wool on size 6 needles, so, it's really no surprise that I turned the heel this morning.  Hopefully these will be done by Friday. 

I am most proud of the sock label I made to wrap around these. I took a cartoon drawing my fisherman's brother drew of him, made it black & white (I do not have a color printer) put it in the center with the sock name at the top & knit for you with love and under the picture was a cute little joke along with the care instructions.

I've gotten a little tripped up on my Irish Coffee, but I have a feelings once I get past this little hurdle, it'll be smooth sailing for the sweater (fingers crossed). 

Look what followed me home...

...can I keep it?

The Fisherman took me on a wonderful surprise weekend to North Conway, NH. There were waterfalls and snowfalls, wonderful meals and tons of laughs.  While in N. Conway we happened upon a yarn store. I went in looking for some lovely souvenir sock yarn for me, when the Fisherman happened to notice some berroco sox in a manly color way. He liked it, so, I got it to knit him a pair of socks.  I'm thinking a plain ol ribbed for his pleasure kind of socks for this yarn. 
I also got myself some lovely purple/grey/black yarn for a pair of tall socks for myself.  Hey, if he can wear hand knit socks fishing, so can I, plus, I've been watching #operationsockdrawer on instagram and have increasingly jealous of all the hand knit socks people seem to have.


multi color of tans, gold, navy, green & white

actually, it's a lovely black to grey to purple color.

Th-th-th-that's all folks. 

I am thiiiiiis close

to being done with the Fisherman's sock, the first one on the size 1.5 needles.  I already have plans for another pair after this one is done too, because I am crazy and like knitting kayak covers. 
The man wears a size 12 shoe.  SIZE 12 SHOE!  Luckily his feet aren't wide.  

I spent some time with the Fisherman this past weekend and he requested biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  I have never made this nor had I ever eaten before, but it was GOOD. I looked up some recipes, and went with the Joy the Baker's dad's buttermilk biscuit recipe, so easy & so yummy! As for the gravy portion, I decided to go with the Pioneer Woman's recipe for sausage gravy. Again, so easy and so, very, very yummy.  

biscuits & sausage gravy

Now, what you do with the leftover buttermilk? You make homemade buttermilk pancakes of course!
(sorry there's no picture of those) They were quite yummy though!

That's really all I got and for that I am sorry. 

Grateful

There is something in everyday to be grateful for, some days it is harder to find that one thing and others there seems to be an myriad of things.  It is the 10th month of 2013, my year of gratitude, here are some things that I am grateful for in no particular order:

• my Bubba, man I love that kid with all my heart.
• my family, alive and gone
• kitties
• the Fisherman
• my friends
• my past loves, heartaches, joys and everything in between
• silly songs
• kayaking & fishing, 2 thing I really enjoy
• yoga
• knitting
• shooting range, I miss that
• driving range, nothing like hitting a big ol bucket of balls

I'm starting to think about what I want my word to be for 2014, Love or Faith. Though truth be told I'm leaning towards Love. Luckily I have a couple of months to decide.  :)

Monkey with Crayon Rage

That's totally gonna be my band name.

So, silly girl that I am didn't read her instructions properly and continued ribbing away on her Irish Coffee instead of switching to stockinet stitch...for five rows!  Rather than tink back the 5 rows I'm just dropping the purl stitches and picking them up the correct way and so far so good.  :)

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

Gramps

It is done! Fin! Finished! Ends woven in, old man buttons attached and elbow patches ironed on.

Ta-Da!

I can't wait to give it to my little bubba on Saturday.  I like this tradition of knitting him a sweater for his birthday.  Little bit of Auntie love for her little bubba. 

Sadly, I have to frog back a bit on the fisherman's sock and start the heel about 5 rows sooner than I did.  Not a big deal really.  My goal is to have these done by our weekend getaway around the end of October.  (same goal for my Irish Coffee Sweater) I totally can do this, at least with the sock because I knit pretty much the foot & heel while watching a bunch of episodes of Supernatural on Netflix Saturday afternoon. 

On a side note, I love my mailman at work, he just brought me gelato from the shop across the street :D