Learning to Knit Socks

When the cat is gone, the mouse will play!

That means you first of all need to know that Astrid is in Maine for two weeks, helping sister Ruth and BIL Don with a house renovation project:  tearing out carpet in the big guest room, the upstairs hallway, downstairs entryway AND the stairs...and then painting everything.

How that came about and the project itself will be my next post.  I did NOT go with her (and, yes, the whole thing was my idea).  But that's another story.

When the cat is gone, the mouse will play!

And I did!  After many years of aspiring to knit socks (even if it killed me), I finally tackled doing it and, in 10 days, finished my first pair!  I did it all from watching 5 videos from the same person online.

I started the socks on Valentine's Day, the day before Astrid flew to Maine.

[Don't ask me why my right sweater cuff was not folded because I always fold my cuffs.]

As you notice, I chose to knit with a magic loop instead of 4 needles.

In this tutorial, you start at the top of the sock (not the toe) with the ribbing,

followed by the stockinette stitch for as many inches as you want the leg to be.

[I chose 8 inches this first pair but plan to do 6 inches next.]


The magic loop part of the video starts at 22 minutes

but the first part is important for how to make your size measurements.

Then comes the heel flap and the heel turn, which, believe it or not, was easy for me.


The heel flap gives the area against the shoe more padding for longer wear.
[This video is only of the heel flap.]

The heel turn in the next video includes the gusset,
which connects the heel back to the rest of the sock.


The gusset part of the sock was where I had to concentrate the most,
but it all made sense and was definitely doable.

Then it was the stockinette stitch again for the length of the foot to the toe.


The toe, like the ribbing and the stockinette leg and foot, was easy.


And then it was finishing the toe, tying it off...
as well as weaving in the beginning (top ribbing) and ending (toe) pieces of yarn.

For any of you who prefer knitting from a pattern, it's here, by Susan B. Anderson, and is called by her "How I Make My Socks."  All the videos are from "Meanwhile at the Castle," using Susan Anderson's pattern.

Voila!  And a collage to put it all together!

I'm posting this not only to show you what I've been up to while Astrid has been gone,
returning on Sunday, but for the record.  I do NOT want to lose these videos.
Trust me.  I am not a knitter (maybe a neck scarf as a teenager, if that counts?).  
So if I can do this, so can you (if you want to, that is)!

And so begins my 75th year, 2020, changing things up a bit to make sure I let go of things I no longer need (like negative energy, unrealistic expectations, etc.) so as to embrace those aspirations waiting in the wings.  Let's just say that, in a very positive way, #75 is making me sit up and take notice.  "DO IT NOW" is becoming my new mantra.  

Learning to knit socks.  Check!  :)

On the Dutch Backroads

You probably already know this about me but it's still one of my happiest, most favorite things to do:  to drive the backroads of this country I have grown to love.  It never grows old.

Did I mention that last Wednesday, February 5, was our 10th wedding anniversary?  And of all the places to choose from for a wee day's outing, we drove to Gouda, NL, 33+ km from home.

Don't you just love maps!  It always helps me to get the lay of the land.

If you squint, you can see we had a river to ferry across around mid-point (thin blue line).

It's the Lek River and is crossed in Schoonhoven for this trip to Gouda.

I snapped the pics from the car while we waited for the ferry to arrive and unload.

This is again from the car while it's our turn to load and cross over.

I was tickled to see that Garmin captured the speed of the ferry while we were crossing on it.

Now we're on our way again, paying attention to every little thing.

See why we love the backroads so much?!

[Why did the swan cross the road?????]

It so happens that this is the one area of the Netherlands that still has old-timey telephone poles.

Astrid still reminds me that this is very unusual...and yes, I do forget.

Almost everywhere else wires are hidden underground.

Do you like road signs from other countries?

I still sometimes have to ask Astrid what a shape or color means.

Surely you can tell here where the bikes are allowed to travel and where not.

Bike paths are so very important to a country that claims more bikes than people!

Surely you know what this is, right?

In the growing seasons, such a stand will be loaded with produce,

an honesty box/jar nearby for your purchase.  

Sometimes Astrid buys goodies for us at similar stands on her bike rides.

I don't care what season it is, however, when it comes to the passing scenery.

With no leaves on the trees now, you certainly see more.

I especially love the weeping willows and the pollard willows, of which I never tire.

The same for the windmills.  They never grow old for me.

After this photo we arrived in Gouda and started our day there with a latte macchiato, followed by an inside tour of the Sint Janskerk, the longest church in the Netherlands, which was our main goal for this trip.  And THEN a celebratory meal for our anniversary.  But that's all for another post.

So, now we're back in the car on our way home.

Here's a postal worker on her bike, getting ready to cross the white bridge shown earlier.

You never see PostNL post being delivered by car!  Either by bike or by foot with a cart.

Speaking of bikes, the backroads are often where we see the race bikes, like Astrid's.

They slow things down of course, but...isn't that the point?

You get to see the things that make this country "more Dutch you cannot get,"

like the 3-poled silo (top-left) loaded with hay.  The roof slides up or down on the poles,

depending on the amount of hay stored.  Usually we see 4 poles, in the corners...

...like in this image Astrid took that same day (because she likes a "men at work" theme).

You can see the 4 poles with the silo roof lowered down behind the house.

By the time we get to the ferry, the afternoon is waning.

We watch the ferry arrive, unload, and then follow the first car on.

Notice that even heavy trucks (bottom-right) are ferried across!

As an FYI, Schoonhoven means we're leaving the city. Don't you love it!

Passage is cheap each way:  €2.20 for the car and driver (Astrid).  €.70 for the passenger (moi).

What's left to be seen is priceless.

And yes, I still pinch myself, after 10 years here.

My Watercolor Sunday and Saturday's Color Books

Most of you will remember that for three years straight, every weekend, from the end of September 2015 to November 2018, I posted a watercolor photo (on Sundays) and a felt-pen coloring (on Saturdays) on Facebook.  I called them Watercolor Sunday (always with a quote) and Saturday's Color.

Purely for the sake of posterity, and to have all images in one accessible place, I decided to make books of each.  Lucky for me, Shutterfly had companion covers to make them a pair, which they are!  Both books are 10 x 10 inches.

Here they are:

Click here to find the book and then click on the book to open it (111 pages).

(You also have the option to view it in full screen.)

Because of the quotes with each image, on Sunday, I decided to call them Sermonettes.

There are 162 of them, shown in chronological order as posted on Facebook.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Click here to find the book and then click on the book to open it (97 pages).

(You also have the option to view it in full screen.)

Here there are 166 designs from 21 coloring books, utilizing 15 different felt-pen sets, 

from 2003-2018, not in chronological order but in like categories/themes.

Both of these books are now listed on my sidebar.