Going to the dogs

I finally finished some knitting projects I was working on, with mixed success. The first was a mitered square rug. I was inspired by the cover of a knitting book I saw, but I had no real pattern or any specific idea about how actually create the rug. So, I did a bit of online searching about mitered knitting, bought some fairly inexpensive wool yarn, and knitted up some squares. After completing the first two, I realized I would not have enough yarn to make two more, and I decided to try some smaller square accents on the top. Well, they looked okay BEFORE felting, but after felting, there was obviously some error here. Finished dimensions are 30x24 and the color way is just what was available at Micheals at the time.

I knew going into the project that it may not do what I wanted, so I wasn't too upset with the uneven felting and buckling, and I learned a good deal. For future reference, all the squares will definately be the same size next time. However, if you come up with a suitable alternative, let me know. I'm definately interested. And, since I'm not one to let a good, felted wool rug go to waste, it's now part of the canine dinner collection at the McD house. She likes it, and it's nice to not have crusted dog food on the floor any longer.


I also finished my first pair of toe-up socks. There was a learning curve with this project too, but I now feel fairly confident in tackling a pair of toe up's. And, I didn't really use a pattern. It was more like a guide. And, on Knitty, they also had a whole article on how to do toe-up cast ons. I worked the figure 8 until I could do it, and I haven't looked back. The socks are a little looser in the cuff than I would like, but all in all, they're not a bad first effort. The yarn is a Lorna's Laces, but I can't remember the exact colorway.

My newest project? Flip Flop socks. I started here, for the two toe caps, and then went on with basic toe up socks. They're working up beautifully. The yarn is Panda Cotton, which is 55% bamboo fibers, 24% cotton, and 21% elastic. I like the higher elastic content, and it makes working the socks to size much easier. The colorway is 0438 College Prep, and I got this from The Loopy Ewe. More to come on this one.

Spring Break Boxing!

Over the past week, our local school systems (and much of the rest of the Augusta area) completely shut down over Masters (golf tournament) week. Since I work like mad to avoid that section of town, out of town trips seemed like the way to go.

MUC and I attended the The Umop-apisdn & Sdrawkcab Tea Party in Waxhaw, NC on March 31st. We had a great time wandering around Cane Creek Park looking for boxes, including an especially determined snail that eluded us. There was even some bathroom diving involved! I was so busy doing the usual boxing things that I totally forgot to take any pictures. However, some fellow boxers were on the ball and managed to do both. Kudos to NOYDB, who rattled MUC's cage pretty well too! As we were doing our discreet boxing thing, MUC noticed "that man" taking our picture and sitting at some picnic tables about 200 yards away. We continued to go about our business and when it came time to replace the letterbox, MUC was distressed to discover "The MAN" was gone! MUC didn't want to put the box back, lest he be discovered. It took me quite a while to convince him it was okay.

Over Easter weekend, I took a solo trip to visit family in the Brunswick area and got in some area boxing as well. While there, I was vividly reminded why I enjoy the beach so much. On Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island, I took the opportunity to shoot some photos to pass the time waiting on tourist to move on before nabbing boxes. And, I got to visit some really great sites I had forgotten how much I missed. Some of the photos will probably turn up in various incarnations in my future artwork.

Here is a very small sampling of the 75+ photos I took. The picture at the top is of Driftwood Beach on the north side of Jekyll Island. Below are the tabby ruins of Horton House (Jekyll), a shot along the north shore jetty on Saint Simons Island, and a tabby crypt at Christ Church on SSI.