More Sock Yarn Please.................

We just received these two colors of Trekking XXL from Skacel Yarn Co. and I can't wait to see what the socks will look like.  I really enjoy the bright colors like the red one, but we have customers who prefer the more traditional in sock colors, so the blue will be perfect for them.

And if I didn't have enough sock yarn already, I picked up these two colors yesterday at JoAnn's.  But, they're for me and not our sock business.  I'll get pictures up as soon as I can get some socks cranked out.

The yarn arrived for the project that I'm doing for a magazine, so my posts may be a bit scattered here and there.  If you smell smoke, it's just my needles working overtime!  The deadline is October 26th and I really try to get everything to them a good week before it's due.  Can't share the details, but you'll get to see it probably in February!

Have a wonderful day.

Doris is Crankin' Away..............

I've made hundreds of pairs of socks and I think this colorway is my all time favorite.  I found this yarn at JoAnn's and it's their "Sensations" line (Soles & More).  To me, these are the most inviting socks and I can just hear my feet saying, "Put me on, put me on!"  Unfortunately, they just went into our Etsy shop!

Next time I drive out to Lancaster, I'll stop and buy myself two skeins of this yarn.  My feet will be so happy!

Colors of the Rainbow..............

Just thought I'd pop in for a minute and show you these bright socks that we made yesterday.  They're a women's L (10 - 12) and just were put in our Etsy shop.  Don't you love those colors?

I also ordered more Trekking XXL from Skacel Yarn Company and we should be getting that sometime next week.  Their yarns are downright delicious!

Squidmeyer the Bedbug...........

Our next bedbug pattern is almost up and running.  Just some proofing of the pattern and putting it into a PDF format. It should be in our Etsy store by tomorrow.

It's a quick (he's only about 5 1/2" tall) and easy pattern to knit and sure to bring a smile to whoever receives him.  He wanted me to tell you tho, that he prefers homes with older children because rough play scares him!  (he's very tender hearted)

A Good Day to Make Socks...........

These socks were made yesterday and just came off the drying rack.  I also managed to get lots done around the house yesterday, so today I can "play" and make more socks. 

I'm waiting for some yarn to be delivered for a new project for a knitting magazine and I'm thinking it'll either arrive today or tomorrow.  So, while I wait I might as well crank out some socks.  Pictures are sure to follow!

Have a great day out there.

Our Sock Pattern Winner.............

Congratulations to Heather who won a downloadable copy of our newest pattern, "Yukon Socks."  I think you'll really enjoy this pattern, Heather.

Yesterday I finished up this pair of socks made with "Step" and just listed them in our Etsy shop.  If you haven't worked with Austermann's Step yarn, you really should try it.  Oh, it's fabulous!

Our Newest Sock Pattern is Here!

I've spent the afternoon typing, proof reading and taking pictures.  Our "Yukon Sock Pattern" has just been listed in our Etsy shop.  I always find it terribly exciting when all this comes together and the finished product brings a smile to my face.

In the morning, I'll add the pattern to our Ravelry store, too.

But, in the meantime, how about a little giveaway for a free downloadable copy?  Just leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite sock yarn is, and on Tuesday, September 20th I'll randomly select one lucky winner for this "Yukon Sock Pattern."

The yarn is from Pagewood Farm and one skein (450 yds) will make these lovelies up.  The pattern calls for U.S. size 2 double pointed needles and the main pattern is an easy 4 row rib pattern.  This stitch pattern gives lots of stretch and makes the socks cling nicely to the leg and foot.

Be sure to leave contact info to make it a wee bit easier for me.  Good luck and I'll see you all on Tuesday morning.

And Who Won Our Little Giveaway?

Thank you all for your kind comments about our newest little pattern, "Wegis the Bedbug."  The random number drawn was "Frayedattheedge." Congratulations!  I will be getting an email right off to you with the pattern attached.

This morning we're heading into town because our fall arts and crafts show is this weekend.  It's always fun to see all the beautiful items - we have some amazing artists locally.  And many come from out of town with their treasures, too.  I didn't enter because I just don't have enough inventory at the moment.  Guess I better get cranking out those socks!

One bit of news tho:  our newest sock pattern is only days away from being completed.  Actually, the pattern is all written, but I'm just finishing up the second sock and wanted to make sure this particular yarn had enough yardage.  This pattern just may be our next little giveaway, so if you're a sock knitter like me, stayed tuned!

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Bedbug Size of a Giveaway........................

If you'd like a chance to win a downloadable copy of our latest pattern "Wegis the Bedbug," just leave a comment on this post.  On Saturday, Sept. 17th, I'll  randomly select one lucky name.  Be sure to leave your contact info to make it easy for me, ok?  My printer is down, so I can only zoom this off to you via the internet.

Good luck and we'll see you on Saturday...........now I'm off to work on our sock pattern and maybe start a hat pattern.

Wegis the Bedbug............

He's not a very big guy (less than 7 inches tall), but have you ever seen a tall bedbug?  I can't even tell you what prompted me to design such little creatures!   Except maybe for the hope that they'd be simply adorably cute and everyone would want to make one!

I just need to type up and proof the pattern and then it will be added to our Etsy and Ravelry stores.  I'm hoping that will happen today, but give me until tomorrow for sure, ok?

By the way, Wegis has 3 other little bedbug friends that will be making their appearances very soon.

I think on tomorrow's post we'll do a little giveaway - it's about time, right?  See you then...........

Building That Christmas Inventory............

Now that my other deadlines have been completed, it's time to seriously work on our Christmas inventory for our Etsy shop.  This new pair is made with Austermann's Step yarn that is infused with aloe vera and jojoba oil - another one of my favorite yarns!

I'm trying to make at least one pair of socks each day while also working on some new patterns to add to our shop.  Tomorrow I'll share a picture for you of something a bit off the wall that I'm working up.  The original models are already done, but I'm retesting the pattern and knitting new samples.  Here's a hint: my grandsons absolutely love them and have already put dibs on each one!

Ok, ok, here's one more hint:  The first one is named "Wegis."

Are you intriqued?  You'll just have to wait and see tomorrow's post!

Smoky Skies and Hand Cranked Socks...................

Fortunately, no homes are threatened at this time but the winds have once again shifted and the Tehachapi valley is engulfed in smoke.  There's several fires to our west and also down in the San Joaquin valley that are bringing the smoke up into our mountains.

It's so bad that we've had to close all our windows and try to stay inside.  So, when you can't go outdoors, the best thing to do is crank out some socks!

This pair was finished up yesterday and ready to be added to our Etsy shop.  The yarn is Yukon from Pagewood Farm and it's a wonderful fiber - merino superwash/bamboo/nylon.  And did I say hand dyed also?  Very yummy.

I'm still working on the sock for our next pattern in the evenings and will get that up as quickly as possible.  The projects for the yarn company were put in the mail on Friday, so now I have a bit more free time to get back to cranking out socks on Doris and Zak.  If you're new to our blog, Doris and Zak are our sock machines.  Doris is an antique and Zak is a new machine from New Zealand.

Thanks so much for all your comments - I really look forward to hearing from you all and wish you a wonderful day ahead.

More Fires ..............

These top two photos show the devastation from the recent fire that was just above where we live.  14,000 acres were lost, 32 homes and two men were killed in the plane that crashed.

Early this morning the monsoons arrived which bring in unstable air that's usually filled with dry lightning.  Sure enough, just to the west of Tehachapi this fire broke out and they're fighting it with everything they have.

This is a view from our back steps.  Right now we're having strong winds that are coming off the desert, but usually by evening the winds will either stop or shift completely and blow from the west.  Many, many homes are up in there along with the community of Golden Hills.  Unfortunately, this weather is due to stick around through tomorrow.

We're completely safe where we live, but it will be a long night for the different communities in the area.  Technically, we're all Tehachapi, but within our mountains are places like Stallion Springs, Hart Flat, Keene and Bear Valley Springs.

Please hold good thoughts for everyone up in our neck of the woods.

Fire Update..................

This morning's news is reporting that our canyon fire (as they're calling it) is now 40 percent contained with 13,500 acres burned.

Here you can see the helicopter using the sump that's about a 1/4 mile below our house.  Thank goodness for the 21 inches of rain we had last winter.

We counted 7 choppers yesterday but couldn't see the water bombers because they're out on the backside of our mountains.

Some of the distant canyons are still smoldering so the firefighters are continuing to drop water on the hotspots.

The worst is now over and once the back road to the desert is reopened, we'll go up and get some pictures.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns.

Fire Watch..................

Yesterday morning a small plane crashed into one of the canyons behind our ridge of mountains. This first picture was taken about 2 minutes after the crash.

From there, the fire just escalated.

Below you can see one of the mosquito helicopters that are helping fight the fire. This morning's briefing said that 6 copters, 7 water bombers and one DC10 are fighting this monster. So far, it's only 5% contained with 4,800 acres lost.

It started very close to last year's fire, but it really hit hard the Blackburn Canyon area and then spread west and east and back into the Old West Ranch area where many homes were lost last year.

Just before dusk last night, the fire reached the top of the ridge and we watched the flames soar into the air.

All night long we watched but knew we were not in harms way because the fire had really laid down during the nighttime hours. We had both vehicles loaded and were ready just in case.

Today will be another noisy day as the copters are watering up in the sump just to our north and the well to our east. It's amazing to watch how they fight this fire. The copters go in one after another and drop their water loads while the planes are gone. Once the planes are reloaded then they attack the fire and the copters go into a holding pattern.

The glider airport to our east is once again a staging area and all the tow planes and gliders are grounded.

I'll keep you updated and please do remember all these heroes that are fighting this fire.

This afternoon we are expecting thunderstorms and that's a flip of the coin - could bring rain or lightning.

He Paints While She Knits.................

A hundred years ago, my husband was a painter (the house kind). He's one of those types of people that actually enjoy painting. Thank goodness!

The walls in our house were originally painted in 3 colors. The ceiling was an off white, the walls were sort of peachy and all the baseboards, doorjams, doors and window sills were bright white.

So, we decided that a darker shade might look good on some of the walls to tone it all down a bit.

The hardest part was deciding which walls to do and not going overboard. I think it turned out splendidly!

So, while my husband was busy doing all of that, I've been knitting away on these projects for a yarn company that I still can't tell you about!

But, I can show you the sock pattern that I'm still working on for our Etsy and Ravelry stores. I switched yarns and need to finish up the second green one and then type up the pattern.

It's a fancy rib pattern down the leg and foot and I really like such patterns for socks because it adds stretch and conforms to the foot so nicely.

Give me a bit longer and I'll get it up and running as quickly as I can. We'll even do a giveaway soon for the pattern.

Hope your Labor Day weekend is a great one.