6 years, and just a foot in the door

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today is our wedding anniversary!
six years have gone by faster than is possible.

each year, david gets a new set of socks for winter. it started with me making several poair for the first anniversary, and i just continued it each year, as it makes so much sense—the real cold is about to descend on us and it’s time to make sure he has good solid socks for the winter.

i know, i know—i could do LOT better at wrapping and presenting things. but i gotta tell you—wrapping and presenting are really not my thing! if it happens at all, it happens as i’m running out the door to whatever situation the gift will be given. if it weren’t for gift bags (and really, god BLESS the person who thought of them . . .), i might not even get the gifts out the door at all.

anyway, the annual giving of the socks is not without it’s “interesting” moments. for this is the time, of course, when the great sock rotation takes place, and david must choose which socks will stay and which ones will go.

now for most of us, this is a complete no-brainer. but as previously documented here, my husband apparently has issues with tossing worthless socks, and becomes inexorably attached to the ones he currently owns at any one time. when he positively can’t wear them any more, he finds new and ingenious ways to recycle them to death (i bet you wondered where the current craze for mitts originated, huh?). this is a saga that a few readers have been following for some time, and it remains a favorite source of, shall we say, bottomless humor. but today it took a whole new twist.

most readers are well-aware that we live in an old drafty house, the fixing of which is a little like sticking our fingers into the dike to hold back the flood. once we started correcting this or that drafty area, another would readily become apparent. but the worst offender has to be the lack of storm windows and doors on the place. we are finally getting interior storm windows which will seal out a lot of the cold, while maintining the beauty of the original windows streetside.

along the same lines, each bedroom has french doors which open directly out to the upstairs porches, completely free of encumberances such as storms. the one in our bedroom even sports a bullet hole. the lack of insulation renders this particular room the coldest in the house—no fun during the getting-undressed-and-getting-to-sleep period each night.

so while our storm doors are on order, david started repairing the sills and jambs in anticipation of their installation. whatever he did created some sort of temporary air gap at the bottom (i guess we don’t have an august or september here in ohio in which to do these tasks), which allows cold air to rush in.

EXCEPT, that he was smart enough to find the perfect thing to stuff in there, in plentiful quantities, right in his closet next door.

i just totally cracked up when i saw that! i mean, it IS a great idea, right? and, he showed me! one more use for something i said was worthless. ha!
maybe if he saves up enough of them, he can do the attic . . .

thank you for all those nice comments about my sweater. i don’t know yet if i will write a patten for it. i have to confess that i have not found an efficient way to size and test sweater patterns (and if anyone has one, please let me know). i have softwear that will help me with sizing, but it does not help redistribute patterning. and then, proofing the patterns and making sure they work in every size just seems like a nightmare in the timeframe i have available for that!

i’m hoping to be able to create more time for this endeavor in the coming year, because i DO have a large number of sweater designs and patterns that currently exist only in my size. wish me luck.

i finished up the toddler jumper and it is real cute! i still have to wash it, but i am happy with the final result, and can’t wait to find some tops and tights to go with it.

i know that lots of people are talking about the new book victorian lace today (XRX books). my copy has been sitting here on my desk for about 2 weeks, and i haven’t said a word about it. that could be because i am too bowled-over for words, but also, so many others have given it quite a bit of time. while not one to use a pattern from a book—i mean, this is the girl who wrote her own pattern this week and then proceeded to do it HER way anyhow . . . i can safely say that this volume is a real inspiration for any lace knitter—full of patterns and great ideas.

another book which i recently bought, and which has not gotten as much attention, is nicky epstein’s newest addition to her series on edgings and embellishments, knitting beyond the edge (spring street books).

again, i have not had a chance to explore it in depth, but from my first look-thru i am completely smitten. it is full of collars, cuffs, pockets, and ruffs—well all sorts of add-ons that also stand alone. i am definitely going to spend more time looking at each item—it’s a real treasury of gift ideas that should fit into most holiday schedules.

27 thoughts on “6 years, and just a foot in the door

  1. Happy Anniversary!

    I love both the sweater and the jumper. You churn out these things so fast, and yet they always look so beautifully finished!

  2. Happy Anniversary! And I love David’s use of almost-worn-out socks. I grew up in an old drafty house and we regularly had rugs and towels stopping the drafts. I like David’s solution much better!

  3. OMG that is a great idea for a draft stopper!! LOL The little jumper is too cute. I’ll be watching for your book review.

  4. very creative husband you have there indeed. i also love the little dress and your sweater. will we see a picture of you wearing it? If you have trouble sizing patterns, why not start out with patterns just your size? I bet there are plenty of knitters out there that are your size as well and/or know how to adapt a pattern for them.

  5. Happy Anniversary! That’s a very clever use of the socks. Maybe someday (if you haven’t already) you’ll post pictures of your house. It sounds wonderful despite the drafts and cold.

  6. I feel a motto coming on: “Old socks never die… they go to live in the attic.” Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen prettier door-gap stuffing.

    I’m totally with you on writing sweater patterns. I have written a mitten pattern, and while I test knit it, and had someone else test knit it, it still had a couple of significant errors. So embarrassing! I imagine a much greater scope for error in a sweater pattern.

    BTW- Happy Aniversary

  7. Happy anniversary!

    Love the socks. Love what he did with some of the old ones! LOL My hubby keeps old socks around, too, and his are only classic, store-bought tube socks. I’ve yet to make a pair of socks for this dear man, as he insists on over-the-calf socks, and he has *very* long legs. And long feet! Sigh. Most of his old socks get used as rags, mostly in the shop. God help me. LOL

    Love, love, love the toddler dress. It’s adorable!

  8. Wow … I get busy for a few days and don’t stop by and you finish a sweater and a jumper, and show off a stack of socks (which I can only hope were finished before these last few days or I might have to believe that you are some kind of alien creature capable of knitting at speeds earthlings cannot even imagine!).

    As always, I absolutely adore your designs and knitting, particularly the toddler jumper. I love the fact that you used a yarn with such seemingly “adult” colors. No baby pink for this little girl! It seems to foreshadow a child who will grow up to earn not only a wonderful sense of style, but likely a Ph.D. as well.

    And happy anniversary to you and David! Perhaps next year instead of troubling yourself with a ribbon you might think about buying a cedar box to house the socks? Enjoy your anniversary together!

  9. First, Happy Anniversary!!! And how sweet that your dh doesn’t like to get rid of the socks you’ve made for him. He found a great use for them!

    Secondly, thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving your kind comments about my Leda’s Dream stole. I appreciate it!

    Stop back by anytime.

  10. Happy anniversary and cheers to the new socks! The little dress is cute and the sweater beautiful – so many finished objects must mean that something new is being cast on soon…

  11. Wow, yummy socks and adorable dress! Of course beloved socks can’t just be thrown away. I totally understand how your husband feels … ;o)!

  12. Hahaha! David’s home grown insulation cracks me up! Happy anniversary to you both!

    Love that little jumper, it will make some little girl look so cute!

  13. Well, why not? Wool is the perfect insulator, after all! 🙂

    Happy anniversary! May you have many, many happy returns of the day. 🙂

  14. Happy Anniversary! Hah, what a clever use for ‘useless’ socks. It’s cute that he can’t bear to part with any of his socks. The jumper is adorable, I’d love to see it on a wee one!

  15. Happy Anniversary Ann and David! We just celebrated 37 years and they keep getting better. Love your Thanksgiving Meal – sounds delicious…
    Maybe we should all send our ‘useless’ socks to you? Perhaps – something like – sock it to ya!!!! The jumper is soooo cute. Congrats!

  16. Happy anniversary!

    Hmm, I hope if someone provides a solution to the sizing problem that you share it with us. I have the same hesitation regarding some ideas on the needles or in my head, including a baby item in the works, although I think that will be much easier.

  17. Congratulations on your 6 year anniversary! That is wonderful. I love David’s creative idea of stuffing the socks under the door. He definitely doesn’t get rid of things easily, but the socks came in handy that way. If I didn’t mention it and I think I did, I love your red Malabrigo sweater. Just gorgeous and the baby jumper is so sweet. I love the choice of colors and it looks like a great outfit with a cute turtleneck and tights!

  18. Don’t knock the creative insulation…There is now recycled clothing ground up and used in “Encapsulated Insulation”. I know because I was researching encapsulated insullation for my grandmother’s house that we are currently/slowly/painfully renovating!

    It did make me wince a bit to see those beautiful hand-made socks used in a harsh utilitarian way….but then, my life production of knitted stitches is still very small.

    Wish I were close enough to take your class! Your blog is inspiring!!

    Fondly,
    Penny in Mississippi

  19. Adorable toddler jumper — do you have the pattern ready for purchase? I’d love to make this for my youngest granddaughter.

    Your work is so beautiful!

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