My favorite rose is blooming! This is Eyepaint. It will bloom fairly constantly until November. I love to look out in my yard and see its cheerful blossoms dancing in the breeze.

The other roses have buds, also, although they haven’t opened yet. I am reminded that it’s almost time for Rose Festival here in Portland.

Thank you to every one who commented about the rainbow socks. I guess I’ll keep them. (sorry Starr) 😉

A friend of mine needed someone to take a few things down to his beach house this weekend and then be there while some guys install a wood stove. I jumped up and down yelling pick me! pick me! volunteered.

I’m taking all most of my unfinished objects and I’m going to spend the weekend knitting. I’m leaving right after work today. It’s supposed to rain all weekend, so I won’t have any distractions to keep me from finishing something. I’d really like to make some progress on the green sweater. And the tipsy knitter socks are only a couple of pattern repeats away from being done.

Shelly asks:

What’s you favorite reference for toe up contruction?

I have to admit that I don’t really have one. Most of my favorite sock books are for top-down construction. I love Nancy Bush’s books, for example, but they’re all top-down. Toe-up construction just isn’t addressed by most of my favorite designers.

I’ve found that many top-down sock patterns can be worked toe-up by reading and working the pattern backwards. It doesn’t always work, but in most cases it can be done with a little modification.

For the basic sock construction, I often just use my favorite techniques and go for it. Of course, I always start with Judy’s Magic Cast-On For Toe-Up Socks. And I have a favorite heel (flap-and-gusset type) that I usually work. I’ve found that a standard pointy toe fits my foot better (although I don’t seem to have worked many lately, looks like I’m stuck on rounder toes right now). I usually look through my stitch pattern books until I find one that I’d like to try. Sometimes I start with the stitch pattern and pick a yarn I think will go well with it, and sometimes I pick the yarn first and then look for a stitch pattern.

I do encourage everyone to try two-at-once sock knitting. It isn’t any faster than doing them one at a time, but it certainly alleviates the dreaded second sock syndrome. And it’s easy to do, especially if you are already familiar with knitting one sock using either two circulars or magic loop.

Just cast on one sock, then use a second ball of yarn to cast on the second sock. Knit from the first needle on both socks (remembering between the socks to drop the yarn for the first sock and pick up the yarn for the second sock), then turn the needles around and knit from the second needle on both socks. And go around and around and around until you have a foot. Then work the heel on the first sock while the second one just hangs there. Finish the heel of the first sock, then work the heel of the second sock while the first sock rests. Then go back to knitting around and around until you have a pair of socks. Cast off. Done.

I don’t know if that was helpful or not! I hope it was.