Beginner Socks and Other Stuff

First things first. I did say I'd post a picture of the absolutely basic sock, didn't I? Here you go. As I said, absolutely basic. It has 1x1 rib for an inch and a half, then stocking stitch for six inches. The heel is the basic k1, sl 1 heel flap with 20 stitches picked up for the gusset. The toe, as well, is the basic toe. Doesn't get any more basic, does it?

The yarn I used is Trekking XXL in colour #100, on 2.25 mm (US 1) needles

I gave the preliminary copy of the pamphlet to Sue (our knitting teacher) so she could go over it and suggest any changes or additions she might have. She also suggested that some new sock knitters might prefer to make them in a heavier yarn, so I'll add the Absolutely Basic Sock in sport weight yarn. I don't knit a lot of socks in sport weight yarn, so I'm not sure how many stitches to cast on. I make them for John and for his I cast on 56 stitches on 2.75 mm needles. I'm thinking of doing the basic ones with 48 stitches on 3 mm needles. Sound about right??

For those of you who have been reading this blog on a regular basis, you know that we live in a beautiful part of the country. I'm often overwhelmed by the scenery around here. Each day brings something new. Today was no different.

When I got up this morning (7 a.m.), it was still somewhat dark. There was low cloud (sometimes known as fog) drifting over the opposite bank of the lake. The water was like glass. As I watched, I could see that the clouds were slowly drifting south over the lake. At the same time, I watched a flock of coots slowly moving north, at almost the same pace as the clouds. It was so beautiful, so peaceful. The other side of the lake was completely obscured by the mist, but I could see clear sky above the clouds.

A little later, I went down to the dock for a while, coffee mug in hand. When I got there, I found signs of a life and death struggle. On our dock was a pile of feathers, a webbed foot and various internal body parts. A coot had met it's fate at the mercy of an eagle or osprey, right there on our dock. Nature truly is amazing.

By the time I got back up to the house, John was up and we watched the sun trying to break through the low hanging cloud. I'd never seen a sunrise quite like it. I'll leave you with that scene.