the finished product was not up to my standards.
Basically the "simple knitted socks" were an EPIC FAIL!
I have learned a LOT of new techniques
polished my knitting skills
but I would never wear them.
So.......
I ripped them out.
We move on...
learn from our mistakes
and I am now embarking on a lovely new project.
A pretty scarf which is a free pattern
Lacy Baktus by Strikkelise
This project is simple...
lacy and beautiful.
I do not like waste...
Speaking of waste,
I ruined a pair of jeans by putting them in the dryer at the cottage.
Who would have thought that 20 minutes in a dryer on low
would shrink a pair of jeans?
I am obviously not in sync with the appliances at the cottage!
Shrank SO MUCH
that they cling
painfully to my thighs and calves.
Not comfy at all!
I had to go out and buy another pair...
in Sidney on my way home!
Tribal
made in Canada
just a tad under $100
I will donate my other jeans...
I have been wearing my father rings...
my Mom gave them to me.
What to do with a mans wedding band and a diamond ring?
I asked our family jeweller Paul de Goutiere to design a pendant
he hit it out of the ballpark...
He suggested that it should be strung on a simple black silk strand...
it looks more modern and contemporary.
I have been wearing it a lot with my black and grey wardrobe....
no idea that it would come in so handy as an accessory.
I am also trying to focus on healthy eating and drinking lots of water
avocado's rank right up there on the healthy scale!
Mashed avocado and a cup of tea...
How is you weekend going?
I am off to a fashion show with a friend tomorrow
then serving up a roast beef dinner for the Super Bowl.
What are you up to?
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
49 comments:
I am all too familiar with ripping out and starting again. Good for you for giving that pretty yarn a second chance!
Your jeweller is an artist I know from experience. He made the ring our son gave to his wife on their engagement - new life for an old diamond.
I, too, am going to a fashion show tomorrow. Perhaps the same one?!
Your pendant is absolutely beautiful, and a wonderful way to preserve family jewellery. The avocado looks so delicious, and I love it as a healthy food option too. Unfortunately they have become really expensive here, up to $8 for one small avo. We have all stopped buying them! Enjoy your fashion show and the Super Bowl.
I’m relaxing after a thorough clean and sort of the laundry, my clothes and the linen press. Feeling virtuous and a bit exhausted as I wait for some Thai take out.
An expert knitter was told me the key to success was not being afraid to rip out and start again :~). I just ran into a snafu in a baby blanket I'm working on, and it is about 3/4 finished, so I will try to salvage what I can and try not to focus on the "mistaken" area....I don't believe anyone else would notice.
The pendant is stunning! looks like the symbol for infinity, which symbolizes your love for your dad. Just lovely.
Amazing how a dryer can ruin clothes! Oh well, at least you found another pair very quickly. I admire all of your knitting and the patience you must have with it. Love the pendant you had designed, so clever. It must look beautiful when you wear it!
Love the picture of you and your Mr too! Beautiful.
I'll be cooking up a Super Bowl feast too... fun evening ahead. Enjoy yours xx
Benjamin Barber, an eminent sociologist, once said, “I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures... I divide the world into the learners and nonlearners.”
I'm in a professional book club at school and we're reading Mindset by Carol Dweck. You are learning to knit socks and you chose to try something else rather than waste the wool.
Your pendant is beautiful and I'm sure a way to keep your parents with you. I eat avocado every week. It's so healthy. Enjoy your fashion show and Super Bowl.
I had a painting go "sideways" this week too after spending hours on it. I blame the eclipse.
But scraped it off and painted another. Weirdly, when we were living in temporary housing while work was being done on our home, I washed and dried our jeans in their machines, and all of the jeans washed shrunk - a lot! They had never done that at home. How can dryers be so different? It's still a mystery to me...
Headed to warmer, dryer, sunnier climes today..Arizona bound!!:-)
So young and beautiful!
Dottoressa
Your father ring pendant is beautiful! I wish I could knit –– I have all of this beautiful wool that needs to have something done with it. Some Aran Isle wool, some from St. Andrew's New Brunswick, etc. My mother knit incredible pieces –– an Aran Isle fishermen's knit coat, a beautiful soft green dress with fine cotton knobby yarn and Irish linen covered buttons to match (the knitting almost killed her and to this day I remember how she lamented starting it as it took her a year of dedication every year to finish it). Well, we've had a heavy snowfall and I'm on my way out to shovel. I will do it over a couple of days. It's really cold. I won't watch the Superbowl. I need to quickly read an e-book by a Canadian woman author so I can give a review of it this coming Friday. Any suggestions?
Wash the jeans again in cold water. The fabric will likely relax.
Oh maybe I will see you later today? What fun if we are at the same show...I was invited by a friend and do not normally go to these events so I am not sure what to expect...except to see lovely clothes!
Avocados are expensive not $8 here, we pay around $3 which seems like a lot but they are not grown locally so we expect to pay more for shipping them...
Sounds like you have had a very productive day...enjoy.
One of the best knitters at our group rips out her work regularly and she knits the most beautiful sweaters...I am not afraid of ripping out my work anymore.
I made several baby blankets and I do not think that any of them are "perfect!"
I know...crazy the range of temperatures that dryers have...our LG has so many settings that it makes it easy to use for wool and delicates as well as the basic cottons...I hang a lot of my clothes to dry...just have to let the jeans go to someone else...who will enjoy them!
I like that Barber quote...very inspiring and empowering.
Mindset sounds like a good book...will you share your opinions on your blog?
I noticed that on your IG post...great that you were able to produce a new one despite the first attempt...we do learn from our mistakes...and it is important that we are not parialized by those that go "sideways!"
All dryers are not equal...I know this now!
:-))
Have fun in the sun!
Ah yes, we were young once!!!
You could take a knitting course?
They have them here and many women are just discovering the craft since retiring...
I like the local author Marilyn Bowering's...To All Appearnces a Lady but there are so many Canadian authors out there...you have oodles to choose from...good luck!
Its worth a try..
Avocados here are usually 2 or 3 dollars each, but sometimes I find them at Aldi's for 79 or 99 cents! they are usually a little green, but they ripen up pretty good.
I was going to suggest the same thing about the jeans, soak them in cold water and line dry.
Deb in Ohio
I gave up on socks. I can knit complicated lace but there's something about socks that just turns me to jello. That avocado on a tortilla looks delicious. I'm making Ina Gartens rack of lamb tonight.
Love your posts and really love that photo!
I'm sorry about your socks and your jeans - so frustrating! The new scarf project looks to be a winner, though. Please do show it when you have it finished.
What a wonderful way to wear your dad's rings. Beautiful, and with al much meaning. <3
I'm relaxing after an invigorating walk in the wind - but no rain - yay! Plan to do a little sewing in a bit.
I decided knitting socks were a hill I didn't need to climb. I ripped them out and will stick to easy knits from here on in, since I'm not very proficient at knitting anyway.
I’m sorry the socks did not work for you! The new project does look very nice. The thing I like about knitting is that if something doesn’t work, you can reclaim that yarn and use it again. Sewing......not so much.😉
I really like that pendent you had made with your father’s rings! What an excellent idea.
Those pink flowers have brightened my Monday morning!
Mary Lou
Sorry about the jeans - but what a wonderful job by the jeweller - I love that pendant.
I'm down with the cold/flu at the moment and coughing so much that my ribcage feels as though I've been in a boxing match! I don't have much of an appetite at the moment but I have managed a serving or two of avocado toast. Yes, they are usually in the $2 to $3 range here but No Frills last week and regular Loblaw stores this week have them on for $1 each - and they are really good so that has been a nice treat.
Can't wait to hear about the fashion show - hope you enjoyed yourself.
After many "epic fails", I finally realized that ripping out (frogging as knitters call it because "ribbit, ribbit) is just part of the process. I'm a perfectionist so a difficult lesson to keep learning! By the way, Churchmouse's basic sock pattern (love the ruffled version that is an adaptation) https://www.churchmouseyarns.com/products/basic-sock-pattern is a great pattern if you choose to try again. I have knit Baktus and it's lovely. And sorry about the jeans - try washing them in cold water and stretching them when wet - worth a go!
Oh wow thats a great bargain on avocados! I have never seen any here at 79 cents...will keep my eyes open just in case they are on sale.
I must be in the same "camp"as you are when it comes to kintting socks!
I am honoured to be in your esteemed company :-))
Love rack of lamb....nom nom hope that you enjoyed it.
Thank you Annette...vintage photos are fun to keep around as they remind us of the times past...
The socks were really an interesting project and a steep learning curve but in the end they just were not going to get much use....maybe at the Yoga studio but other than that I think they may have languished in the sock drawer....and being practical I figured that the yarn deserved a better life! Will definitely share the scarf when it is completed.
I should have known that the pendant would have been well done...Paul is very clever and his designs are always to my liking...he has a good "eye."
I have been knitting simple things for years and the gals in our knitting group make such interesting things that they are responsible for urging me to try new things...
I am feeling much more confident now and am not afraid to "branch out" a bit...The Beehive offer classes and have weekend drop in sessions where knitters gather to work on their projects and they help each other with new techniques...just in case you need a little encouragement!
Yes the yarn is easily unravelled...oh I am rubbish at sewing...I always admire those who have the talent and patience to make garments by hand.
Hope you have a lovely week Mary Lou
The fashion show was fun...it was a Sympli "trunk show" and they make fabulous clothes! The styles are fun, really drape well and are made for a mature womans figure...one with a few curves and they are masters in the art of camouflage...the company is based in Vancouver and all the garments are made there...you may be able to see their new Spring collection online.
Ah that is new terminology for me...frogging!
I looked at the Churchmouse sock pattern and I love that ruffly detail...perhaps if I learn the magic loop or the two loop method for socks I may try again...
Yours is a great attitude, and there's a great metaphor in that ripping out what you've knit and making it into something else. I wonder if you'd have been happier knitting your first pair of socks at worsted weight? Fewer stitches and thicker yarn and bigger needles -- plus the stitches at the gusset are a bit easier to see for picking up. . . But really, there are so many other possibilities for knitting, and you have made such beautiful shawls and scarves and blankets, that you don't need to fuss with socks if you don't enjoy the process. . .
LOVE THE RING IDEA!
I just got back from NASHVILLE and it's ALL ON THE BLOG!!!!!!!!
PLEASE STOP BY FOR A READ!
XX
What a wonderful idea for your rings - gave me a good idea for my mom's and dad's ring - thanks for sharing! And sorry about your jeans . . .
They are so cute - and they are featuring them again for Valentine's Day https://www.churchmouseyarns.com/products/happy-ruffled-socks-alegria-version - I'm sometimes a real klutz and mastered double-pointed needles (magic loop seemed way too hard), so I'm sure with a good expert guide, you can too (if you feel like it - not everyone has to make socks!)
I just keep going back and looking at these red shoes- I love them! Bridget
I also love the red shoes, can you share the brand?
Your photos are just beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with a winter weary New Englander!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos with a winter weary New Englander!
I also love your red shoes, what brand are they?
Josef Siebel shoes...
They are made by Josef Seibel...super comfy and I like the style.
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