Fearless Leader’s Hiking Socks

Photo from Crochet Today

 I forgot to post the photo! Duh…Here are the quick and easy Hiking Socks I designed for CrochetToday! Magazine. You can check out the magazine on their website. (I think the model is just tooo cute!)

The yarn used is Red Heart’s Heart & Sole with Aloe Vera. It’s an easy yarn to work with, washable wool, and it’s a pretty smooth ride all in all. I find it comparable to Regia (which is owned by Coats & Clark in Europe) sock yarns. 

Often when we think of Redheart yarn we think of Supersaver, which has it’s place in the scheme of the yarny universe, but Redheart actually has a TON of different kinds of yarns in many different textures. I have to give this yarn a thumbs up, I’d like to see more solids in it, as ombre wouldn’t be my first choice to work with, or if I had another choice I might throw a solid strand with the ombre to break up the striping. But, as you can see in the photo above, I worked the yarn as best as I could to keep that pooling to a minimum! I particularly like how the “gussets” come to nice angles, which look great in the sock 🙂

Stay tuned for more crochet sock news! I’ll be teaching a three part sock class in Stanwood, WA. I’m almost done with the pattern. A completely customizable sock pattern that will work for any size foot, without having to laboriously count stitches 😉 Oh yeah, let’s hear for the lazy hookers like me!

Baby it’s Cold Outside…

Wowsies! After a blazing summer with only 5 full rainy days, October has become rather chilly here in the great Northwest! It’s so cold at night we’ve actually starting building a fire, which I LOVE! It’s cozy, and homey, and of course that makes me break out the hooks and yarn.

Other than working on a project for a magainze (which I can’t say anything about yet, but when it comes out I will), I am also making a large  “hammock” for my niece’s stuffed animal collection. It’s very princessy! I really want to get that finished because I have a burning desire to break out the wool and make myself some slipper socks. My feet are freezing, and all my old woolies are dead…yes, dead. Held fondly in my heart in memorium, but I wore the little blighters out, and have not had a chance to make new ones…EGADS what was I thinking?

I also need new hats. The cute fashion hats I made this summer, just don’t cut it in this chilly weather. So after the project is over, and the hammock is made, I shall definately make myself some yummy hats and slippers too!

Other than that? If you are going to Rheinbeck look for my little helpers, they will have CLF tote bags to identify themselves and have some awexomse postcards to boot! Ask them for a postcard they have plenty!

I’ll have some of those in Portland too! So if you come by Twisted on Friday October 30th, or Saturday October 31st you can nab one then 🙂

Sock Summit Today!

I am so excited, today I get to hit the market place at the Sock Summit! Yay! One booth I’m very excited to see is CLF Member Mortaine’s! She has a pointy stick name involved with her booth, BUT how can you look down your nose at handworking superheros? I hear tell there be action figures…stay tuned for more!

So if you see me with the sock, yes that little sock pinned to my clothing, you know it is me!

Back to Portland, Sock Summit Here I come!

I am packed, ready to go, and I can’t wait to leave tomorrow morning! I get to go back to Portland, and this time we’re celebrating socks! Hopefully I get to see Karen Whooley who is the ONLY crochet teacher at the Sock Summit. I do have to say, I know she shall represent the hook fabulously well there!

For CLFer’s like me who couldn’t make the fabo stuff in Buffalo, if you can stop into the marketplace at the Sock Summit you may just spot MOI! I have a couple of fun, Crochet Ambassador pins to pass out. So if you see me ask if I have any left!

My miniature sock is firmly on a pin, and I shall proudly wear it! And I’m just finishing up the toes on a cute pair of Merino/Alpaca anklet socks I shall be sporting through my Birkenstocks 🙂 It is PORTLAND we’ll be hoofing and hookin’ around!

So, look for me, I’ll be hanging out in the market place. I may stop by for an little bit tomorrow when I reach PDX, and for sure I’ll be around on Friday and Saturday, possibly Sunday.

See you there! (If you’re not having your picture taken with me in Buffalo! LOL…you’ll see!)

Fair Week again…and the Sock Summit!

If you’ve been with the CLF over the past two years (which by the way our Birthday is July 26th!) then you will know that for about two weeks a year my life is consumed by the local community fair! I love it!

Today I went out to the fair grounds, opened up the old log cabin, and swept, mopped, and dusted. Things weren’t too bad, no rat droppings (yay!), a few mice had tried to take up residence, but thank heavens were not in evidence. I do not have to paint, or do any major repairs to the inside of the building. Starting Tuesday from 10 am until 6pm and on Wednesday from 10am to 8pm I will be recieving entries for the Hand Spinning and Fleece Department at the Stanwood Camano Community Fair. This really is the “Best lil’ fair in the West!”

If you are in the Puget Sound Area and want to have some real old fashioned fun with the family or sweetheart come on out! I’ll be running around doing Superintendant type stuff, but let the folks in the log cabin know you’re on the fair grounds and I’ll try to meet up with you!

We have the best time every year, and we’d love to see you! And yes, of course crochet is very represented!

Oh and the Sock Summit! I’ll be leaving on Thursday Aug. 6 to head down to my friends’ house in Oregon City, Oregon (near Portland), to stay for five whole days! YAY! Some of that will be playing with sock yarn, and sockie kind of activities at the Sock Summit. Some of that visit though is just for me, unadulterated visiting with folks! YAY!

If you’re at the Sock Summit I hope to run into you at the mega vendor’s market, that’s where I’ll be lurking!