A weekend to finish them in. .

It was my goal to knit gifts for my nearest-dearest this year (aside from those who need something purchased). So far I am pretty much on schedule. The pair for SIL need to be finished this weekend. Can I do it?

Then there will be the samplers for Dad's sweater to be ready for when he and Mom blow into town on a whirlwind-24-hour visit on the 5th of June.

And the socks for MIL.

And then the socks for the rest of the year.

So far it has been incredibly satisfying to be able to give something handmade. Almost like getting a gift in return. Hmm.

What was I thinking II?

Here is a picture from the King's Garden. I took that instead of taking pictures at Strikke cafeen Den Røde Tråd in Nørrebro. Den Røde Tråd was a wonderful experience.

For the Niece I hardly know

Here is a pair in Arauncania for the daughter of my cousin. My late aunt used to knit for her whole family, but since she passed away they have been looking for a new knitter. Though I had fairly close contact with my aunt and her oldest son, I hardly had any contact with the younger son and his family. What better way to show them that they are important to me, than to knit a pair of socks for each? Knitting a gift, for me, is like giving a piece of oneself.

Anyway, I hardly know her, having only been at one luncheon with her in the past 30 years. She is quite beautiful: both slender and delicate (with an iron will, from what I overheard her saying :o)). This yarn is gentle and feminine in its colors and I hope it will convey to her the high esteem in which I hold her.

The pattern is from Charlene Schurch's new book Sock Club, and it is supposed to have a very special heel. More pictures to come as the work progresses!

Domino Socks

These are more fun than is probably legal. The domino squares are knit on Brittany Birch dpns (so warm, so soft. . ). The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway pinstripe. I have been most concerned - these are a gift for my employer on his 50th birthday, and I wanted to make something that would speak to the Rebel Soul in him. Despite the subdued colors, the pattern is a bit wild. Now that I am working the foot, I am less concerned. I have put a little 1x1 rib on the sides to make them hold their shape and to break up the striping a little.

The top will be knit "up", though I am not sure if I should make the triangles in domino or in entrelac. Another idea was to make them red, since he is a little "Red" in his heart ;o)

What was I thinking?

Socks for another brother-in-law. Knit in Ringel in the pattern Texture Socks. What is up with that light blue stripe? What was I thinking???

Home.

In my younger days in Colorado, I used to run down the stairs to my parents' house. I would pass over the threshold into the house's warm embrace and be Home. It occurs to me that Home is not where I was, but what I became in the sanctuary of house in which I grew up. This year (I was there in August) the grass was greener than I have ever seen it so late in the year. The house opened its embrace to me, but Home had become something I carried in my heart. This did not diminish the beauty of the place, or the joy of being with my family.

Socks for a Wonderful Brother-in-Law

Ok, they look like nothing, but they were a gift for my Brother-in-Law (who is also my cousin, go figure). The pattern is nothing really, and the yarn is Hempwol from Lana Knits. I hope they wear well.

These are part of a series - one pair for BIL, one for Dad, one for my Brother, and (soon!) a pair for dear Husband. All four will have the red yarn in them. In Danish things are said to be connected with a "red thread". I wove a little piece of it into the sole of my Father's socks.

Little Beauties for my Little Beauty

Nothing but the best for the Light of my Life and the Center of my Universe! These are knit with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, and toe-up loosely based on Diamond Waffle by Danny Ouellette with a touch of Cloverleaf lace stitch from Kathy's Lace Socks (Lana Knits) and an I-cord bind-off. I was astonished at them when they were done - much lovelier than I had hoped. Now as long as she is happy, I am happy.



It is almost impossible to see, but I knit the pattern 7-9-13 into the instep. 7-9-13 is a Danish way of knocking on wood, and it comforts me to know that she carries a talisman with her.

Sock for my Husband

These little beauties were knit in a yarn called Aurauncania, and in the pattern Guernsey socks (don't you wish I had learned to spell??). The yarn is new to me, so I am anxious to see how they hold up. They are nice and soft!

The rug is a silk splendor from Iran that my Dear Brother was generous enough to give me. It is delightful!

Socks for my Father

Here they are - knit with the feet of Francie (a Tree Grows in Brooklyn) and a plain ribbed leg. For these I used Hempwol from LanaKnits.com and they are the third pair to be made from this delightful yarn. Dad insisted that it was too warm to try them on, so he took them on faith. He's satisfied with them, I am satisfied with them.

Sun is shining.

The sun is shining. Slowly I emerge from hibernation. Where was I when I fell asleep in September?

another experiment

Here are a pair knit from Luscious, a yarn from Kollagé. It is 63% cotton and 37% nylon elastic. While knitting I was concerned about how tight the socks were knitting up. After a few minutes of wear they gave to be as comfortable as an old pair of blue jeans. Now the big question: How will they wear in the long run?

What do you mean by that?

Today it occurred to me that the word "handicapped" does not mean what I think it does. Question 1 when people see my daughter is what is wrong with your daughter, to which the answer is autism makes her different, I am not sure there is anything wrong with her. Question 2 is What is autism or how does it make her different, to which I have to say I have no idea. To me she seems so normal.
One of my dear daughter's friends, S., was patiently explaining to me that a certain young man on their bus was disruptive and annoying because he, "you know", does not have language. Today Dear Daughter was telling me about another of the students at school - a girl named C. "She is like K.", says DD, "no language". For S. and DD having no language is no more peculiar than being left-handed. One of the sidecar drivers in Brno wheels himself in a wheelchair when he is not driving his sidecar. He won the race, so I would not say that the limited use of his legs is in anyway a handicap. If he cannot walk, is he handicapped? What does it really mean to be handicapped? Do physical or psychological impairments constitute a handicap, or is a handicap how you deal with the cards you are dealt in life?
So, DD reads this over my shoulder and asks "am I handicapped" and I have to say "I do not know. Do you feel handicapped?"

Her Birthday

Truth be told, I would have paid for a birthday party anywhere for my little angel. She wanted to celebrate at the Farm (Jens raises rainbow trout). I was quite touched. Here is a wretched picture of her little classmates and her teachers from the walk we took in the forest. I took some video and gave her the still camera. She apparently thought taking pictures of mushrooms was more fun than taking pictures of people. All a matter of taste, I guess.

Two wheels

When I paid for parking at the AMK/IHRO raceday event, the man gave me to fives as change. "Two wheels" he said. It was quite appropriate!

a beautiful day at the races

Here he is with Bjarne, Helen, and Bent Møller.
On the 20th and 21st Jens participated in sidecar races for the first time in a decade. He was graciously invited by Bjarne Karlsson, the current Swedish champion, to ride as the sandbag (I kid you not - that is the technical word). They won both days, but it would have be fabulous even if they had just finished. Jens was Danish champion in 1986, and I had never seen him ride. This weekend completed the experience for me. Nobody seemed to be in the race to win. It seemed to be much more important to have a good time and to come home in one piece. True, you can only fall about 2 inches from a side car, but at 80mph, that can be far enough.

Nifty disguise.

How can you not be impressed?

I have read that you have been in Denmark too long when you no longer notice the windmills. It is my tremendous good fortune to see the "wings" on my commute between Hannerup and Aalborg. They look to be about 100 feet/30 meters long. Riding on their special trucks they look like great majestic whales sliding silently through the water. Here is a picture of a typical car trying to pass one. How could you see something like that and not be impressed?

Pediatric Dentistry - however you spell it.

Yesterday my little Darling went to the dentist. Pediatric Dentistry is just one more thing that is light years ahead here in Denmark. When we lived in Virginia I took her to the highly recommended Pediatric Dentist who gave a whole new meaning to the expression "going medieval" with his handling of her: drilling to the root on her tooth without anesthetic while she was strapped to a board, for example. He looked me in the eye when this torture was over and said "she will never be able to have a tooth filled without total anesthetic". Here in Denmark the dentists are, gasp, trained to handle children, even little autists like my baby. During her first visit the Dentist gently but firmly talked her through the process. On the next visit the Dentist even managed to fill two of my baby's teeth without even upsetting her. When we got out to the car from the first visit, I burst into tears of joy. It has been said that Danes are very full of themselves and smug about the superiority of their culture. When it comes to Pediatric Dentistry, they have every reason to be proud. Anyway - I just wanted to say that.

Aunty Margrethe's socks

Here they are! She insisted that they fit, even though she did not try them on. Being the mistrusting soul that I am, I immediately became suspicious. That was foolish. The gift is a symbol, really. It shows here that for 15 hours (give or take) she was more important to me than anyone else I could have been knitting for. That has to mean something.

The Right-Here and Right-Now

Here is Poochie, trying desperately to get me to get off my backside and come out and play with her.

Then there are the Hemp socks for my dear Brother. They are racing toe-up through the gusset toward the mystical turn of the heel. WOW!!!

Finally, what do you make for your best friend in all the world? Reptilian Lace socks, of course. Here they are, almost on the home stretch after the gusset decreases.

Okay, the pictures are crappy. Better ones to follow.