What about the potato?

I'm done with county fair knitting. I turned it all in and got just about everything done. I replaced my potholder entry with the purple socks for my TA. Which means I should sweep the ribbons in the sock category. Woo hoo! So I'm taking a couple days break from knitting, then I'll start back on my TA socks.

In the past couple years I've entered an additional contest which required me to decorate a mailbox. After 2 mailboxes I'm moving on to something smaller and more disposible.... The MR POTATO HEAD contest. The instruction say to decorate a potato as 'someone or something' with points for creativity and overall design.
Here are my ideas so far:

• Cleo-potatra - With headdress, possibly reclining
• Einstein - need wig
  
• Geisha - Paint, Hair, Kimono
• California -requires a serious hunt for the correctly shaped potato and little flag labels

What do you think? Any other ideas? The top prize in this is $20... Well worth a couple potatoes!

Down to the wire and stressing

I have to turn in the county fair stuff on Monday. I'll be busy most of tomorrow, so the majority of knitting will need to happen Sunday. Here's the rundown:

Finished: handspun scarf, handspun wool, refrigerator towel

Finishing only: Ryder Sweater, Purple cable socks

Must knit fast!: 2nd pedicure sock, 2nd half of honeycomb baby hat, 1.5 potholders

That's a lot of knitting. I'm going to try to knit and walk around tomorrow in between other things. Wish me luck!

Dropping the Ball (of Yarn)

I am about ready to lose a couple county fair things. I think I'm going to drop the 'kitty' and the lemon baby hat. I haven't entered them yet and I don't think I will get them finished. I think I'll commit to the pedicure socks, I'm almost finished with the first one.

I've already paid for my potholder entry, but I haven't really made a good start on them. The good news is they are fast knits. The bad news is you have to enter a set of 2.

10 days to go

Ulterior Motive Pedicure Socks - Revised 1/25/08

I don't get pedicures. I haven't painted my toenails since Liz and Jerm's wedding. However, if I did, I think I would love these socks! Instead, I'm just having fun making them. My push for County Fair entries led me to start the pedicure socks and I didn't want to just go plain so I got a bit creative. Here's the Pattern:

Ulterior Motive Pedicure Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Irving Park (It's nail polish colored!)
Needles: Size 2 double points
Gauge: ~6.5 stitches per inch

CO 60 stitches (or a multiple of 12, use The Sock Generator to calculate heel)
Join being careful not to twist
K2 P2 ribbing for 20 rows
*K1 P1 K4 P1 K1 P1 K2 P1* Repeat 5 times around
Begin Open Ribbing, stitches in bold form 'lace' ribs with a 'p1 k1 p1' in-between. Pattern is over 12 stitches and repeated around.

Open Ribbing - Repeat each row around
Row 1: K1 P1 K1 Yo K2tog K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 Yo K1 P1.
Row 2: K1 P1 K4 P1 K1 P1 K3 P1.
Row 3: K1 P1 K1 Sl1 K1 Psso Yo K1 P1 K1 P1 K3 Pass 3rd stitch on right needle over first 2 stitches P1.
Row 4: K1 P1 K4 P1 K1 P1 K2 P1.

Repeat 8 times (32 rows added)

Put half of stitches (30) on 1 needle to work heel flap leaving a symmetrical section of rib pattern
On 60 stitches: K18 Turn, move 12 more stitches onto needle for flap. This makes a heel over 3 'K4' open ribs.

S1, and purl back 29 stitches
Knit heel flap in heel stitch:
Row 1: *s1, k1* across.
Row 2: s1, p across.
Repeat until heel flap is square (about 2.5 inches).

Turn heel
Slip 1, knit 19 stitches, SKP, k1, turn.
Slip 1, purl 9, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, knit 9, SKP, k1, turn.
Slip 1, purl to next-to-last stitch before gap, p2tog across gap, p1, turn.
Repeat until all stitches have been worked, ending on a purl row.
Knit across to end of needle.

Pick up for the gussets:
Pick up one stitch through each slip stitch loop on edge of heel flap.
Knit across the instep stitches.
With another needle, pick up one stitch through each slip stitch loop on edge of heel flap.
Still with needle 4, knit to center of heel.

Decrease rounds for the gussets:
Next round: knit to 3 sts from end of needle 1, k2tog, k1.
Instep: Continue in Open Ribbing beginning Row 1
needle 3- K1, SSK, knit to center of heel.

Alternate plain and decrease rounds until 60 total stitches remain.

For instep, Knit across first needle 'up from bottom' Continue Open Ribbing across top of foot, Knit back down. Work in this way to end on Row 4 of pattern repeat.

Work K1 P1 ribbing for 15 rounds.
Bind off.

Weekend Wonders

A few things got finished and started in Sonora this weekend.

I finished the handspun scarf (or at least I used up all the yarn and cast off... I think its a little short)
I finished the toes on the purple cable socks, but in order to make it seem like I meant to switch the color for the toes, I'm doing a duplicate stitchon the heel flap too.

I started a little 'lemon' baby hat.
I got 1 inch into the honeycomb pattern on the blue baby hat.
I am down to the toe on Corrie's sock #1.

I think I'm to the point of putting down any non-fair projects, it is getting down to the finish line!
2 weeks to go!

The little knitter who could

I've made some progress on various things. I've steadily knit for about an hour each night. Here is the run down on current projects in process.

Chuggin' Along:

• Socks for Francesca are nearly done
• Dark blue baby hat for county fair has 2 inches, I'm beginning the body pattern
• Furry Kitty Stuff toy, for Fair Theme contest, is started with novelty fluff yarn
  

Barely Movin' and Full Stop

• Socks for Corrie are waiting for a heel flap on first sock
• Ryder sweater still needs armpits sewn
• Mom's 'trekking xxl' socks have turned the 2nd heel but there is a long haul to the finish

I have a pile of 'Unlikely to move again' too, but thats a whole different post.

3 1/2 Weeks until Fair stuff is due.

I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...