Free Summer Sock Pattern!

Nothing better then cute, flirty summer socks to chase away the humid knitting blues. This is my current favorite pattern, many thanks to my dear lovie, Tasha, for being the inspiration.

SUMMER SOCK HOP SOCK

Yarn: Panda Silk (52% Bamboo, 43% Superwash Merino Wool, 5% Combed Silk), 1 ball, 204 yards
Needles: Size 2 circulars, 32" or longer
Stitch Marker
Gauge: 36 sts per 4" in stockinette stitch

Note: This pattern is written for Magic-Loop. If you are not comfortable with 'looping' you can find videos at Knitting Help: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/advanced-techniques

CAST-ON
Using your preferred method, cast on 140 stitches. Divide evenly onto 2 needles and join in the round.

CUFF
Rounds 1 - 4: Knit
Round 5: *K2tog, K3tog* (56 stitches remain)

Continue knitting in stockinette stitch for 1" or to desired cuff length. A cuff longer then 1" may require an additional ball of Panda Silk.

HEEL
Using only one needle you will be working 28 stitches. Turn sock so that wrong side is facing.
Row 1: (WS) Sl 1, P 27, turn

Row 2: *Sl 1, K 1*

Repeat these two rows 16 times, for a total of 32 rows.

then repeat row 1 once more.

HEEL TURN

Row 1: (RS) Sl 1, K 16, ssk, k1, turn

Row 2: Sl 1, p 7, p2tog, p1, turn

Row 3: Sl 1, knit to 1 st before gap created by turn on previous row, ssk to close gap (1 st from each side of gap), k1, turn

Row 4: Sl 1, purl to 1 st before gap created by turn on previous row, p2tog to close gap (1 st from each side of gap) p1, turn

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all stitches have been worked - 18 sts remain.

GUSSET

Set up Row: Knit across working needle, using same needle, pick up 16 gusset stitches, plus pick up one extra stitch between last gusset stitch and work on back needle in order to eliminate any possible holes in your sock.

Switch your loop around and k28, this is the top of your foot. PM and then pick up one stitch between the needle and the first gusset stitch and then pick up the 16 gusset stitches.

You will have more stitches on one needle then the other, but that's okay. Needle 1 will have 35 sts (18 sts from the heel, 16 from the gusset plus the 1 you picked up from between the needles); Needle 2 will have 45 sts (28 sts across the top of you foot, then your marker, then your 1 extra st from between the needles followed by your 16 gusset sts).

Round 1: Knit all sts.

Round 2: On your first needle, knit to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. Switch your loop around. Work across the top of your foot, slip your marker, k1, ssk, knit to end of needle.

Continue repeating these two rounds until you get back to a total of 56 sts. Your first needle should have 23 sts and your second needle should have 33 sts (28 across the top of the foot sts, your marker and then 5 sts). At this point you are done your decreses. Slip the 5 gusset sts that remain on your second needle back onto the first needle to make a total of 28 sts on each needle.

FOOT

Knit all stitches until sock is 2" shorter then desired length of foot.

TOE

Round 1: (even round) Knit

Round 2: (decrease round) Needle 1[top of foot] K1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before the end of needle, k2tog, k1. Needle 2 [bottom of foot] K1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before the end of needle, k2tog, k1 (4 sts decreased).

Repeat rounds 1 & 2 until 16 sts remain (8 on each needle). Graft sts together using the Kitchner stitch.

well, thank god that's over!

So I got back from Jamaica and promptly got sick. Really sick. I know, what's new, right? I feel like this has been six months of pretty much non-stop sick, but this one was a doozy. Lung capacity down to 30% and nearly landed my pretty little butt in the hospital this time. Hooray for prednisone (betcha never thought you hear me say that one!)

So enough whining about me. On to some news. The 4th Annual Autism Awareness Fair was a smashing success. Which we of course knew it would be, but omg, the stress of making this event happen every year makes me wonder why we put ourselves through it. But then I look at the numbers. 750 through the door, 200 kids dropped off at the play area, countless families finding the resources they need. The kids talent area was a big hit as were all the old reliables. I am humbled to be a part of such an amazing group of dedicated women (and a few men too).

Our group also had these billboards installed at several locations around York this month:



Pretty impactful, don't you think?


And there has been knitting! Alert the media!!! See, there is always knitting going on, I just usually never remember to tell you guys about it. This one is for work, it's Knitty's Pioneer, modeled by the lovely & beautiful Tasha.


Made from Swizzle from The Alpaca Yarn Company in the color Academy Blue. Yum, yum, yum!!! Only took me a few days to knit and I am absolutely in love with the way it turned out!

Next on the needles is Flit + Float from the same issue of Knitty. This one is made from The Alpaca Yarn Company's new color of Glimmer, Mint Kiss. I'm knitting it on size 5 addi lace turbos and I'm totally in love with it so far. There are SIX charts to this sucker, but the first one is very easy to follow and memorize. Of course, as I say this I am in the midst of trying to figure out where I made a mistake, but yeah, it will all work out eventually.

And, for the most exciting news of all, I'm going to be going to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival for the ENTIRE WEEKEND!!! Woot!!! I never get to go anywhere Beastie free, let alone for three whole days. I will be working most of the time, but I am sure I will be able to squeeze in time for fun too. Let me know if you are going & we can plan a meet up! Yay!!!

FDR Pebbles Review

as promised...

FDR Pebbles Trip Photo Album

We visited FDR Pebbles from March 2 - 9, 2009. The visit exceed our expectations on every level. We are in our mid 30s and were traveling with our youngest son who is 5 years old and has severe autism. We contacted the resort in advance using their online chat feature to let them know we would be coming and what special needs he had. They assigned us a nanny, Tycia, who had experience working with kids with autism.

I cannot say enough good things about the resort, the staff and the personal attention our son received during our trip. Because the resort is so intimate, you get to know the other families and the staff very quickly, which is great. Whenever our son needed us, Tycia let another staff member know and they quickly came and found us. No mega-resort can offer this type of service or attention.

Our room was in building 4, room 113, second floor end overlooking the pool and above the kids club. This was an ideal location and I strongly recommend this building to anyone. The wi-fi signal from building 6 was strong, the view was great and the convenience to everything the resort had to offer was fantastic. The room is rustic. If you are looking for a bright, airy, tropical room then you should look somewhere else because you will not be satisfied. However, if you want an intimate, cozy, treehouse feel, this is perfect. I loved the fact that this was a "kid's resort" and I wasn't constantly worried about my son breaking something or damaging something because everything was pretty much kid-proof. This is a big relief for me and let me enjoy the vacation just a little bit more. The room is divided into two sections, a living area with two day beds, a desk, drawers, tv, refrigerator & mirror. The other section contains the parents' bed, tv, two small tables and balcony access. The bathroom is small but the large vanity sink is nice and the shower is hot with plenty of pressure. The resort supplies shampoo, body wash, soap, lotion and plenty of towels. Our nanny stocked our fridge with our favorites, including red stripe, coke, ginger ale, fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal and milk. There is one air conditioner for the entire room, which is why the wall doesn't go the whole way up and completely divide the room, as some others have commented on. If this wall went the whole way up, the kids would never get any of the air conditioning. The room light is dim, our only real complaint. I would recommend a book light if you are a late night reader.

Much of our trip was a blow-out, weather-wise. The scuba shop was closed every day of our trip, which was very disappointing to my husband, an avid scuba diver. The wind was vicious and it wasn't terribly warm. Many of the nannies were seen wearing coats or wrapped in towels, trying to stay warm, although most of the kids didn't mind. This meant that my visions of sitting at the pool bar for hours on end or laying in the hammock reading didn't quite come true. I made up for it by playing chess and billiards with my husband in the game room, getting a wonderful pedicure and spending time at the ocean grill, reading or visiting with the staff and other parents. Everyone was happy and no one complained. The staff worked tirelessly, especially the pool staff, sweeping the sand, cleaning the windows, etc, working to limit the effects of the constant wind.

Freddy, the manager, is a constant presence and a joy to talk with. You can tell he is very dedicated to the resort, his staff and the guests. While we were there our son became sick. Because of his severe autism, he cannot talk, so sicknesses are very scary for us, especially in a foreign country. Our nanny took us to the nurse who looked at his ears and felt he had a double ear infection. We agreed to call the doctor who came to the resort within 45 minutes of her call. He examined our son, gave us 3 medications and was willing to take a credit card to pay for the service (under $200 total). This is better service then I would have gotten here at home. From that point on, everyone on staff knew our son had been sick and so extra special attention was paid to him, with staff asking constantly, "how is your little boy feeling?" Again, you cannot get attention or service like this at any other resort we've ever visited.

Tycia, our nanny, was exceptional. Her devotion and patience with our son was amazing. She is truly a very special person and I cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone, especially those of you who may have a child with autism or some other special need. She gave us instant comfort and our son was so excited to see her each morning. She understood his needs and our concerns as well, doing a perfect job of executing that delicate balance of serving both the parent and the child. We had her babysit on several of the evenings and it was such a joy to be able to go be with other parents, guilt free, knowing our son was being lovingly cared for.

Although our son was small, we also have two teenagers who did not come with us. We won't make the same mistake next time. We were afraid they might be bored, but the staff who worked with the teens was sensational. They took lots of trips and did lots of activities. They constantly made sure that the teens and pre-teens were engaged and having a good time. Even those who looked sulky and sullen were soon participating in slide-races, contests and dances. Even though the resort was only about half full during our stay, we constantly saw staff interacting with these kids, sometimes just one on one, playing billiards or x-box or just sitting and hanging out, listening to music. Again, truly exceptional service.

We are already planning our next visit. We have found our new home away from home, at least for this stage of our son's life. We cannot say enough good things about FDR Pebbles and would highly recommend this resort to anyone with children.

Jamaica trip

Long time, no blog, I know. That's because since my last blog post we snuck in a trip to FDR Pebbles in Trelawny, Jamaica. What a beautiful country, resort and amazingly friendly people. I am counting the days until we can return. I just posted a very long review on Trip Advisor. As soon as it is published I'll print it here as well.

We returned home last monday. Tuesday I celebrated my 39th birthday. Well, celebrated may be a misnomer. I should say I had a birthday. There was no celebrating to speak of unless you count my grams calling and singing me happy birthday over the phone. My own parents didn't even call me, my husband didn't get home from work until 1am and while my teens gave me hugs, that was about it. Oh, and I did laundry. But it was fine, really. I had just come home from a wonderful week in Jamaica -- who could ask for more for a birthday gift?

I did manage some knitting while I was gone, although I was super ADD and jumped from project to project while I was gone. I made the most progress on my 3:1 rib socks; I am now on the gussett of the second sock. I also worked on my Malabrigo cable socks, my cozy wrap in jojoland melody and on a lace scarf with a new alpaca yarn that is to die for. Photos of the knitting soon.

When? Well, when I'm feeling better. Yup, I'm sick again. I am so terribly tired of being sick. I am going to miss the first meeting of my spinning guild today because of this stupid cold. It is another of those stuffy head, runny nose, cough up your lungs, pee your pants colds. Sparky has threatned twice now to take me to the hospital because I am having such a tough time breathing. I'm a walking pharmacy. I'll have the flonase, allegra, singulair, benzotanate, mucinex, tylenol & naproxyn cocktail please. With a side of tissues.

Back to work on the crocheted kimono now. I really want to get it finished today if possible. Again, pics soon.

Oh on the cooking front, I've been too sick to cook the last few days, but I did manage to make Jerk Chicken with ingredients that I brought home from Jamaica. Next trip I will bring home more, since Sparky and the teens said it was fantastic. Nothing much to it really, just marinated skinless, boneless breasts for 24 hours in Jerk marinade. Then cooked them on the stovetop in olive oil. Served with a side of noodles and everyone was happy. I also made a great shrimp scampi over linguini this week, with lots of garlic and lime juice. Lately everything has had a bit of lime juice added. Guess I'm still feeling tropical.

Beastie vs. the superglue

Beastie wrestled a tube of super glue last night. The super glue won.

He had it in his left eye, on his face & mouth, all over his hands and even on the bottom of one foot.

We didn't get home from the emergency room until nearly 1am. (he did it at 7pm)

He won't be at school today because we need to do warm compresses on his eye (read: baths), we need to put ointment on his face repeatedly (who knew bacitracin defeats superglue?) and acetone on his hands and feet.

It's never boring at my house, is it?