My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.
So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake.
I feel better already.
[Dave Barry]

I’ve been finishing projects. I still need to write up the pattern for the Argyle vest and the little hat, but at least the garments are finished. The toe-up sock is next.

Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.
[Mary Schmich]

I confess. While I should be knitting on the foot of the toe-up sock so I can post the heel instructions, I’ve been doing some summer reading. Here are links to sites for three of my favorite authors: Robin Pilcher, Susan Whittig Albert, and Debbie Macomber. I have out of town guests coming later today so I’m afraid it will be later in the week before I get to the heel. Meanwhile, I need to get laundry running.

Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us.
[Oscar Wilde]

Rachel Misegades, my mama, made audio recordings of her childhood memories. A friend of mine transcribed the stories and digitized the audio files for me. I also have many old photographs. The one above was taken in the 1920s—Mama astride her pony, Lady.

I have launched a weblog just for Mama’s Stories. I’ll put both the transcribed version and the audio version on the blog along with a photo. Here is an example of one of her little stories:

I was born September the 7th, 1906, at Cherryvale, Kansas. My father was fireman for the steam boilers in a brick yard about two or three miles south of the city. A little village grew up around the brick yard called Corbin City. But we soon moved closer to town on 10 acres and had several cows, a team of horses, pigs, chickens and a huge garden. My grandfather, my mother’s father, lived with us and he had to have a garden. One morning, as my father came from work, he asked me to put my hand down in his overcoat pocket. I did that and felt something warm and fuzzy. He brought it out of the pocket and it was a yellow kitty. There were some kitties at the brick yard and he noticed that this one looked so hungry, and was in need of TLC, so he brought it home to me. I had a book that was The Three Kittens, and one of the kittens was yellow and named Mouser so of course that became my kitty’s name. Well we had Mouser sixteen years before he died.

The following is an MP3 audio file of Mama telling the same story as quoted above:

If you’ve lost focus, just sit down and be still.
Take the idea and rock it to and fro.
Keep some of it and throw some away,
and it will renew itself.
You need do no more.
[Clarissa Pinkola Estes]

I started this weblog two years ago as a learning experience so that I could help my clients. I used an out-of-the-box design. Since then I’ve customized many client blogs but never got back to refreshing mine. This change is almost out-of-the-box. I only replaced the masthead photo with one taken by a friend of mine. He has spent his free time in the past couple of months taking flower photos. Thanks for permission to use this photo, Ron.

I’ve also welcomed over 37,000 visitors to my blog in the past two years. That boggles my mind. I’ve lived in towns smaller than that. It also visits upon me a sense of responsibility. It is my hope that folks are enriched by having been here.

For the toe-up sock knitters—I’m on my way up the foot and will post about heel shaping soon.

This month’s assignment in my writing circle was to write about what place we would be if we were a place. Here’s what I submitted:

If I were a place, I’d be the earthy smell that blows through the screen when spring warms the Indiana soil. I’d be the cool feel of the linoleum as I nap the afternoon away on Grandma’s floor during a scorching Kansas summer. Hollyhocks nod on the other side of the screen door and grasshoppers fiddle their songs in the dry weeds. I’d be the mist that plays with the Spanish moss in a Charleston garden or obscures the valley in the Smoky mountains. I’d be a sunrise in the Oklahoma hills, the sunset on the Wabash where it widens around New Harmony. All the places I’ve lived and loved blend together when I try to pick one place from the rest.

It just dawned on me that I don’t need to imagine what place I’d be because I am a place. I’m the place my nomadic children call home. Home isn’t this house or even this city or state. Home is me as in, “Mama, I’m coming home.” I’d never thought of that before.

Toe: A part of the foot used to find furniture in the dark.
[Author Unknown]

The increasing starts after one plain round. There are 4 increases per round (two on the right side of the foot and two on the left side of the foot). The increases are worked every other round. The first photo below shows the toe after first set of increases are worked, and the increases on the finished sock. The second photo shows the toe when all of the increases have been worked. I worked the increases as follows:

• k1, m1+k1, k6, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k6, k1+m1, k1
• k 24 around
• k1, m1+k1, k8, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k8, k1+m1, k1
• k 28 around
• k1, m1+k1, k10, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k10, k1+m1, k1
• k 32 around
• k1, m1+k1, k12, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k12, k1+m1, k1
• k 36 around
• k1, m1+k1, k14, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k14, k1+m1, k1
• k 40 around
• k1, m1+k1, k16, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k16, k1+m1, k1
• k 44 around
• k1, m1+k1, k18, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k18, k1+m1, k1
• k 48 around
• k1, m1+k1, k20, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k20, k1+m1, k1
• k 52 around
• k1, m1+k1, k22, k1+m1, k2, m1+k1, k22, k1+m1, k1
• k 56 around

Since this is sport weight yarn and I used US #2 needles, I only need 56 stitches around for the foot and the leg. I used what I call “lifted increases.” This LINK will take you to a page that shows a diagram for this kind of increase (look at the end of the page). m1+k1 is a left-leaning increase and k1+m1 is a right-leaning increase. You are welcome to use any increase you prefer.

The foot is knit around and around on the 56 stitches per round. You can try it on to see how long a foot you need to knit before starting the heel. I’ll show the heel turn as soon as I get the foot knit.

I like making a piece of string into something I can wear.
[Author Unknown]

I heard from several people who would like my toe up instructions so here is how I started the toe. I’ll add to this with photos as I knit the sock.You are welcome to my ideas. I’m not sure if this is how dedicated toe-up sock knitters do it, but this worked for me. I’m using sport weight yarn and US size 2 needles.

STEP 1 — Put a slip-knot stitch on the needle. This will not be used in the actual stitch count and will be dropped later.

STEP 2 — Cast on 10 stitches using the half-hitch cast-on technique. You will have 11 stitches on the needle counting the slip-knot stitch.

STEP 3 — Knit across the 10 cast-on stitches. Slide the slip-knot stitch onto the needle.

STEP 4 — Turn knitting upside down so you can knit back in the backs of the half-hitch cast on stitches. Start with the thread that connects the slip-knot stitch to the half-hitch cast on stitch. Use another needle to lift the strand under which you will knit. The photo shows the row half knit.

STEP 5 — You will have 10 stitches along the edge you just knit. When you have added more rounds, you will notice that this method produces a seamless effect. I think it might be magic.

Now you will start knitting in the round so turn your knitting over and knit 5 stitches. With another needle, knit 5 more stitches and slip the slip-knot stitch to that needle. With a third needle, knit 5 more stitches, and then use a 4th needle to knit the last five in that round. You will continue knitting in the round.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you how I work the increases that shape the toe. Meanwhile, I’ll go make my bed, clean the kitchen, and work on a client job.

Knitting fills my days,
not to mention my living room, bedroom, and closets.
[Author Unknown]

When I received this hand-spun, merino yarn from my daughter, the customs form read, “The world’s ugliest sock yarn.” The yarn feels comfortable in a sock and the color is moss green in daylight but tan in artificial light. Not the world’s ugliest sock yarn in my book. My task was to see how it would knit for socks, and how far the quantity of yarn would go. I always knit socks from the cuff down but I decided to knit these from the toe up since I wasn’t sure how long I could make the leg and cuff. The heel shaping I usually use worked nicely from the toe up. Now I need to knit the second sock. Would anyone be interested in the toe-up pattern worked step-by-step as I knit it?

P.S. Here is a photo from a friend who lives in France—two roses from her window box.

Summer afternoon — summer afternoon;
to me those have always been
the two most beautiful words
in the English language.
[Henry James]

I love summer. What you see in the photo is a summer-winter romance. Instead of a younger man, I traded for a summer car. I haven’t figured out what I’ll do when there is a foot of snow in my driveway but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Meanwhile, I wish I could give you a ride with the top down in this breezy, blue and green world. This is a Saturn Sky and it is only by chance that it matches my outfit. I may be a bit flaky, but I’m not that extreme.

Meanwhile, I’ve been knitting and knitting with a bit of gainful employment on the side. Check out Andrea Wong’s new blog. She offers a free baby bootie pattern that she just designed. Really cute.

Your arms were always open when I needed a hug.
Your heart understood when I needed a friend.
Your gentle eyes were stern when I needed a lesson.
Your strength and love has guided me and gave me wings to fly.
[Sarah Malin]

This photo of my mama (Rachel Misegades, 1906–2001) was taken sometime in the 1950s.

Mama was a hand weaver, knitter, crocheter, leather tooler, book binder, teacher, …. I thought she could do almost anything. The thing she did best was problem solve. She did what seemed the most sensible to her even when she didn’t like the choice. Then she adapted her attitude to what she’d decided to do. I remember when she decided to quit driving and she sold her car. Later, she rented a place at a senior-living center, sorted her belongings, sold her house and moved. I ask her how she made all of those hard choices and kept a positive attitude. She replied that she asked herself what her mother would do. Isn’t that ironic. That is exactly what I do. Happy Mother’s Day, Mama. I wouldn’t be me if you hadn’t been you.