Sock you!

I will admit the Village of Hawk Run Hollow blog post was just something to keep the non-knitters among you believing that this is a stitchy blog, while, of course, it has steadily been morphing into a sock-knitter’s journal. This sock-knitting thing is not a fad, honeybuns, even though I wish it was. It guzzles up all of my time, it takes my attention away from stitching, raising a child, eating, sleeping, reading, personal hygiene, work (housework, and more importantly, regular work), and what have you. What I like about knitting socks, so far, is that I don’t have to use a chart or pattern to do it. I can just make a sock up as I go along, using information from all sorts of sources. Sometimes it doesn’t work and I have to rip it all back, – and here comes the worrying bit – it doesn’t even bother me. Now, in stitching, if you were to tell me to undo my work and start all over again, the frogged project would never see the light of day again. In knitting, I find this isn’t the case. Look at this wee sock:

Only yesterday, this was an over the knee stocking. Do I mind that it has been reduced to little more than an anklet? Not in the least. The first version wasn’t good enough, so I took out the needles (YIKES!), pulled at the thread (double YIKES!!) and undid everything except the foot and the heel. You see, I am a little delusional when it comes to my body shape, or, more accurately, the shape of my legs. I had read somewhere that a stocking in a 3x1 rib (that’s knit 3, purl 1) does not require any shaping (no increases or decreases along the calf). No shaping means no maths. Maths is for nerds, honeybuns, and I am no nerd. No siree Bobby. No maths for me.

So, no-shaping ribbed stockings were the very thing for me, I thought. Except, of course, I have the weirdest shaped pins in the history of ever. My feet are very slim, long and narrow. My ankles are slim, long and narrow too, but after that – above that, my legs become rather… oh, what’s the politically correct term? Shapely? Curvy? No. I think the correct term, politically uncorrect though it may be, is elephantine. So yesterday I realized that the lady who enthused about the no-shaping qualities of the ribbed stocking was either a) lying, or b) blessed with a rather more slender physique than me. I tried on the sock as I went along, but by the time I got to the top bit, where the cuff starts, I found that the sock was actually cutting off my blood stream. I wouldn’t have minded that, only it made the ribbing look all weird and unattractive.

So I ripped it all back. I’m starting over again, maths and all. And still I love the sock.

Pantoef sends warm purrs. And so does Pelle. As well as some warm snot and drool, because he's poorly.

Yours unraveledly,
Annemarie.

The Determinin' of Species

Hello, this is Annemarie de Vries, reporting from the Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I’ve been stationed here since… oh, 2006, 2007? Nothing ever happens here, really. It’s quiet and peaceful. Every now and then, once every few months or so, there’s a bit of a hubbub when one of the nine builders who still need to finish their work decide to get out of their lazy beds and do some bricklaying, hammering and cussing, but overall, this Village is about as sleepy as another famous Hollow you may have heard of.

During my time here at the Hollow, I have noticed a little discomfort, a little dis-ease, a little je ne sais quoi when it comes to the animals around here (if indeed they are animals). The beasts in Block 4, for instance, were cause for some discussion over at the inn the other day. I say they’re goats, all the others say they’re dogs. Perhaps they’re a mix? Goags. Doats. I’m pretty sure they’re goats, but whatever.

The thing is, this reporter isn’t the only one who’s confused about the odd-looking animals. See the look in that cow’s eyes? I don’t know about you, good reader, but I think that is quite an interior monologue going on behind those crazed eyes:
What the moo type of creature is accosting me now? I don't know. It sure as hay ain’t no cow and it certainly ain’t human, so what is it? WHAT? It’s not canine (I think), it’s not feline (I think), it can’t be chevaline... equiuine... well, it’s not a horse, either. The tail’s too long for a rabbit, too thin for a squirrel, too curly-uppy for a rat... We don’t have monkeys over here at Farmer C. L. Odhopper’s Dairy (although admittedly Mrs. O. has a whiff of squirrel monkey about her. Squirrel monkey, squirrel monkey. Could it be...?) And just what is the creature handing me? Is it an acorn? A peanut? Chocolate? Liquorice? Cheese? WHAT? I implore you, HRH stitchers of the world, to put my mind at ease and tell me what sort of animal has weaseled its way into this here Block with moo.

Thank you, Cow. I’m sure one of these days someone will come up with the solution to this riddle, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this creature turned out to be that bloody goat from Block 4 again.

Now back to Annemarie the stitcher and good riddance, Annemarie the reporter.

So, this is what I do when I stitch. Trying to get inside the minds of the objects/animals/people appearing on my linen. I know. There’s a reason why I live in a small house in the middle of a forest, away from society. Anyway, to those of you who saw the above pictures and immediately hoofed it to their Hawk Run Hollow wall because they can’t remember having seen a cow in the Village of Hawk Run Hollow before, let me explain what happened: the block that I’m stitching is actually Block 10 of the Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I love both pieces enormously, but really, there is not a chance in this whole wide world that I will ever stitch both of them, so I thought I’d mix them up. There is one other block that I intend to replace, but let’s just see if I can finish this one before we discuss the other one, shall we?

Apart from trying to get inside a cow’s mind, I’ve been knitting, too. A new, lovely, warm, long pair of socks that I’m naming Briar Rabbit Socks, but please don’t get me started on that story now. It’ll do my head in.

Yours befuddledly,
Annemarie.

Birthday Blessings

Please weep with me as I tell you that the planned birthday celebrations all came to naught, due to me collapsing into an exhausted heap on the sofa. This happens every fortnight on the weekends Pelle spends with the ex, so I should have known better than to whet your stitchy appetites with my plans, but there you go.

But! I did finish my socks (of which later) and I did spend a lovely day with Harmien on Thursday. Harmien’s 40th was earlier this year, but for some reason, I never got around to giving her the birthday pressies I had made for her. Until now, that is. I’m pleased with them, and I hope she is, too.

Stacy Nash’s Let’s Play in the Dirt (do NOT google this. I beg you).

The linen was originally of a virginal white, but I dyed it with my special Christmas blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, juniper berries, ground ginger and cloves and coffee, baked in the microwave (as I am, alas, oven-less). I filled the pincushion with birch chips, cinnamon and juniper berries. Yum.

The basket is just a regular bread basket that I use as a sewing basket all the time. Seriously, I carry it around with me everywhere, so I hope Harmien will find a use for it as well.

For my birthday, Harmien stitched this sweet, gorgeous sampler by Silver Creek Samplers, called Sweet Friendship:

The frame, she told me, is a family heirloom, and it is a thing of beauty. I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this, but I’m very, very happy with it. Dank je wel, lieve Harmien! As I said, the socks are done. In the end, I decided to not call them Chateau Chit or Chateau Chic socks, but, since I finished them on my birthday, and since my birthday is the second of November and since November 2nd is All Soul’s Day, I call them All Soul’s Socks (or Allersokken in Dutch).

Ta-da, I’m sure you will agree.

Harmien and I have been entangled in this never-ending SAL of the Village of Hawk Run Hollow. Every time we visit each other (which is rarely, thanks to me failing miserably at any form of time management), we work on the Village. This time, the inspiration to continue is quite strong and I’m still working on it, so maybe next time there will be another picture or two of some things stitchy. There will definitely be talk of another sock, No surprise there.

I hope you all have a fabulous week filled with stitching and sewing and quilting and knitting and whatever else you enjoy doing.

Yours stitchingly,
Annemarie.