New beginnings and one loose end

We've been finishing so many projects lately that if we're going to show Works in Progress for the weekly check-in at the Needle and Thread Network, we're going to have to start some new ones. Fortunately, that's never a problem.

We're thinking ahead to the holiday season so we've got socks on the needles.....

For this pair we've chosen the same yarn that we're using for the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf but in a different colourway. It's Elann.com Sock It To Me Dankai, Colour 62, Raku Glaze. There's quite a bit of brown in this blend. Very soft, very long colour changes. We love it.  It seems very similar to the Lang Jawoll Mystery we just had such success with. 72 stitches on 2.75 mm bamboo double points. Cuff down (as usual). We have a recipient in mind but it's a secret. Now, after the ribbing, what pattern stitch should we choose???

A second pair of socks for one of the kids who actually likes and wears our socks. He's an ice fisherman so we make him thick, warm and sturdy socks. We're using 2 strands of yarn at once. One strand of Elann.com's Sock It To Me Soft Focus Colour 68, Water Lilies. And one strand of Elann.com's, Sock It To Me 4-ply in a dark grey which we bought a while ago. We like to combine 2 strands of yarn. You just never know what you'll end up with. In this case, we're hoping the stripes will be muted by the grey. 56 stitches on 3.5 mm double points.

Funny thing about the 2 balls of Sock It To Me. They're both superwash and were purchased at the same time. In fact, you can still buy them but they're very different yarns. The Dankai is soft. We mean really soft. The Soft Focus, not so much. The Dankai was produced in Turkey and the Soft Focus in Italy.

We'll just pick up these 2 sock projects and work a few rounds on one and a few rounds on the other when we're watching TV and before you know it we'll have socks.

 What else? Oh, yeah. Remember Coco's Cap? The little cap we designed for preemies and newborns? A little while ago Dowager left a comment asking if we'd ever made Coco's Caps in larger sizes. Dowager was thinking that cap would be cute for older kids and adults. We think so, too.

So....this is a gauge swatch. The first step on the path to a working pattern. We'll keep you updated on our progress.







Yesterday, was one of those glorious late summer days in the Kingdom of Coco. We don't like to brag but here's a peek at our view from the deck.

The sumac's beginning to turn red. It was still and warm and the leaves on the trees are beginning to colour and get crispy so that when the wind does stir, they rustle. Grandma Coco sat on the deck, knitting in hand and enjoyed a cold beverage with Mr. Coco. And here was our charming and most lady-like companion. She's an indoor-only kitty but she does like to lie on the deck (and never seems to think about venturing further afield).

"Why? Where would I do?" she asks.


Finally, as promised...... the one loose end.... the giveaway.....




 Heather!

 

We hope you'll enjoy Norman's Blankie.

Please send us your mailing address and we'll send a copy of the book off to you.

And if you didn't win a copy (sorry!), click here to find out how to get one.

Sunshiny cats, amazing socks and more

Cassie's getting a late start. Note all her toys strewn around her. She stays up half the night carting them around....and wailing. Why does she wail? If anyone knows, please do share. She is a happy kitty. She has food and toys and lots of love. She is a mystery. A beautiful mystery.

And now for something amazing........

These are the green socks. Finished. That's really not the amazing part....contrary to what some might think. Look closely. They are mates. True (pretty near!) identical mates. Amazing! We started with one single ball of Lang Jawoll Magic Superwash. It weighed 98 grm (with the label) when we started. We knitted and weighed (obsessively) because we wanted to use as much of the yarn as possible (if you remember), making the sock legs as long as we could WITHOUT (and we can't stress this enough) having to rip the first sock back because we ran short on the second sock.

You all know how much we like math. No joke. We weighed and we calculated how much yarn we used as we went along. We have notes like: 84 gr. left, 5 inches from beginning. We thought we had it calculated pretty well and in the end...... Success! We had very little wool left.

However.....it is a complete and total, mind-boggling FLUKE! that these 2 socks are so similar..... especially when you consider how long the colour repeats are in this wool. We doubt we'll ever be able to repeat such a performance. We should just retire now. Several claims were made on these socks while they were in production but in the end, they're going to Mr. Coco and they fit him perfectly.

Here's a question for anyone who has knitted with this wool before. Somewhere during the knitting of the ribbing of the second sock we found a loosely tied knot....not a break, just a knot. Is this the manufacturer's indication of the true centre of the skein? It seems to be at the appropriate spot. That would be cool, if it was intentional.

Another one of those Razzle-Dazzle what is this? puzzles?????

No, this is our version of this from Stitch Nation Yarn.

Aren't they just the sweetest little hats you ever did see?

Unfortunately, we don't have access to a little baby right now and Cassie was sleeping and not inclined to model (but wouldn't that have been adorable?). We do know where to find a cute little baby though. Can't wait to see her in it.

Don't forget tomorrow's Part 4 of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along. There's still lots of time to catch up, if you've been thinking about joining in. We're planning to have a little gift for anyone who completes their scarf and sends us a picture. (Just in case you needed more incentive.)

And finally.....don't forget you have until Wednesday to go here and leave a comment to win a copy of Norman's Blankie.

Norman's Blankie

Illustration from Norman's Blankie Copyright © Cheryl Coville 2011

Boy, oh, boy, have we got news today! Our little book got published and we held it in our hands yesterday for the very first time. We felt like proud first-time parents! And, as such, we're going to give you the full story, complete with pictures. You might want to get a cup of tea and settle in. We don't do concise.

Norman's Blankie is a children's picture book we wrote and illustrated years ago. It's the story of a baby whose mother makes him a quilt. As he grows, he takes his quilt with him everywhere he goes but at some point, that quilt starts to look a little ratty. Norman's mother knows just what to do .... and so would any other mother/quilter/seamstress. It's a heartwarming story of a quilt but it's also about a mother's love and the way we carry that love with us all through life.

 

Earlier this year we read that Fun With Books was looking to publish books for their fabulous program. What? you don't know about Fun With Books?? Well, we've been following them for years now. They are a bunch of volunteers....about 200 of them now....who give away books to children under 5 for the sheer, unadulterated pleasure of fostering literacy. Not one member of the organization gets paid. And any child 5 and under in the Counties of Leeds and Grenville (that's eastern Ontario, Canada) can register to have a book delivered (by hand!) to him/her every other month. It used to be monthly but like everyone else, in these trying times, Fun With Books has had to cut back.

So, where were we? Oh, yes. Yesterday, we went with Mr. Coco to meet the team that packages the books for delivery. We helped stuff about 1700 copies of our book into envelopes. Bernie Boesveld, the chairman, made us very welcome and told us that in the 17 years that Fun With Books has been operating they've delivered about a half a million books! Imagine all the children who've begun their reading lives because of this group.

Illustration from Norman's Blankie Copyright © Cheryl Coville 2011 

In the beginning, they handed out Little Golden Books that they bought but nowadays, in an effort to cut costs, they've begun to publish their own books. And that is why they've begun scouring the closets and desk drawers of local authors and illustrators. Grandma Coco thinks there are a lot more under-appreciated manuscripts out there. When Fun With Books publishes our books, we all win.


Fun With Books gets a little funding from time to time but, boy, could they ever use a little more. So, if you'd like a copy of the book or you'd just like to make a donation to a very good cause, please click on over to their site (click on fund raising in the left hand column). You can mail a cheque to them or you can click on the CanadaHelps.org button and donate with Paypal. The book retails for $8.00 and it costs them another dollar or 2 depending where you live to mail it out so please be generous. (Apart from the tiny fee that CanadaHelps.org charges, every penny goes to Fun With Books. Grandma Coco's not taking a dime. We just wanted you to know that.) Be sure to say you want a copy of  Norman's Blankie  and be sure to include your address.....either with your cheque or in the box on the CanadaHelps.org form.

Now, for everyone who read all the way to the end, we'd like to do a giveaway!! Leave us a comment on this blog post and tell us about your first reading experience or the blankie your mommy made for you when you were a baby or just what you think about literacy and children. We'll pick a winner randomly next Wednesday, September 28, 2011 and mail out a copy of Norman's Blankie to the winner.

Thanks for reading ... and thanks for supporting this great cause.