Tag Archive: ChiaoGoo Red-lace Circular Needles Toe-up Two At A Time Socks


Finishing Friday


Here is where I keep myself accountable to me for progress on projects of my passions. But yesterday I got behind and then ahead on this episode.

Sometimes I feel I make other people feel inferior through my checklist. Please don’t. I feel inferior to everyone else in that I’m sure they’re getting other stuff done that they don’t even need to report because they are so good at getting their adulting jobs done that I feel guilty not getting done or just overlook, like dishes and shampooing. The same 24 hours is all we get and we make choices of what we can do. What we need to do. And what we can’t wait to do, leaving other necessities hanging with futile hopes.

And since this blog is attached to ‘Warts and All’ I’ll start with what hasn’t gotten done. My husband asked me today why I haven’t been playing the uke, recorder, or violin. Well, I thank Mrs. Skinner for this sidetrack path straightener.

When I got sick of practicing piano and ready to quit lessons, she came up with this  bait and switch. Forced practice came from Mom. But I adore my teacher. She sent me home with her ukulele. It helped so much in bringing me back to the piano.

So in hopes of keeping my music alive I tried the recorders and strings. And sure enough it worked.

When my dad was in the rest home over a decade ago, the lady in the room next to his played her piano all the time. I decided I wanted to grow up to be her, or Huge Lauri of House fame. He would sit down and just play, no sheet music just music.

I’ve been stuck with eye music since I was 5 years old. My goal this time is to learn to improvise and play. Still, there is so much to learn to get to that stage of free-playing. The other instruments help with learning chords and meandering melodies. And a change of positions. So I need to get back to them sometimes.

Shiloh sleeps waiting for me.
Shiloh makes it hard to skip piano. So I’ll need to plug in other musical play elsewhere in my day.
Scrap socks 1 Milo refuses to look.
Scrap socks 2
Watermelon socks
Blue boho socks. Not much progress for research booklets.

Duo still rides my stationary bike managing a few lessons for the half-hour 4-5 miles on #3 grade. So… There’s that.


Should be Finishing Friday, but hey, ADHD.

Found on Facebook. Hehe.

Okay, progress has been slow, but for the record:

About 2/3s finished. Lots of black and dark colors make this a tough one.
Two more inches until the heel.
Scrappy Socks. About an inch until the heel. I have more scraps below.
Should I use this for the heel and ankle?
Two more inches until arch ribbing.

Piano is harder to show progress. Has anyone noticed that once the usual mistakes are eliminated almost regularly, that brand new mistakes pop up? Even still, I think I’m ready to tape another Warts and All. While polishing up old challenges, I have new ones I’m learning bit by bit. I’ll list them later. I’m running out of energy and words.

Yeah.


Didn’t add much to my scrappy socks.
I think I did a row or two here. After frogging back several rows. I’m sharing the cakes with the socks to show the way it looks knitted or wound. I love these colors.
It may not look like it, but I did spend time on the watermelon socks. I still have an inch or two before the arch ribbing.
This sea turtle is coming along. This one has a lot of black. I find black yarn or diamonds hard on my eyes.

Some things seem harder to see progress.

Milo looks sweet and innocent when he’s asleep, but OMG!!! He takes over my bed and when I try to find my spot on the bed, he gets grumpy. Yet, at times, that cuddle bug feels like Heaven, you know?

He understands outside pee time but comes back in to leave a surprise in the hallway right next to the kitty litter.

Oh, the barking! I remember with Kali, all the energy, many of the same issues. I used to say having a dog was 100% harder than raising 4 kids. Yet with love the issues faded and when she passed… Well, I’m still not over her. So I know Milo will get it and the rest of my heart. Any hints to help with these issues? Cats are easy!

On the plus side, these guys are the best audience, source of laughter, and love in furry suits.

On the piano end of things I surprised myself with a whole hour of fun a couple days this week. AND with the discomfort and lack of sleep, my bike time reduced every day but today. I finally got 40 minutes today. Yay!

I have 3 reviews to write. Yeah, being uncomfortable in bed makes me sit up and read. Lots of reading. I like reading in the quiet of night.

How was your week? What positive progress have you seen in your life?


My newest sea turtle diamond painting is nearly 1/3 done.
I haven’t done but a row or two on my watermelon socks. Still not up to the arch ribbing.
See the yellow marker? I was ribbing along while chatting and oopsed. So now I have to tink back a couple rows. Darn!
My hands were longing for larger needles. So I started on scrappy socks. See how much faster the larger needles and yarn move along? Already to the arch ribbing. Turkish cast-on, 8, increase toe to 16. Then knit until arch. Then knit, purl until time for Fleegle Heel.
My son told me I would love the Skyrim Theme. He’s right. There are a lot of YouTubes to hear it for now. Soon I’ll do a Warts and All with all I’m working on.
My favorite song, played often on Grey’s Anatomy, Chasing Cars. Every time I hear it I cry. I don’t know why exactly. Now I’m enjoying learning how to play and sing it. Next to that song, is God Bless The Child. The closest to ready of all. It is so much fun to play.
I’m starting to relent and do scales and exercises, hence Hanon’s 1st exercise. Almost polished Ash Grove. Still working Con Te Partiro, another favorite.
And for my constant audience member in my Dabbling Den, Shilo for Shiloh. It’s coming along. I seem to be learning more about improv on this one. Daylight is HARD so I’m taking a measure or two at a time. And I’m still loving Succession.
And Italian is my favorite on Duolingo keeping me going.

Just following my passions. Book reviews coming soon.


Sunset Diamond Painting still needs to be straightened and sealed. I’ll do that tomorrow morning.

I immediately got out this sea turtle. I love sea turtles. Well, anything to do with the ocean.

As you can see I’ve started at the bottom of the picture.
Aren’t Shiloh (the black cat on the left) and Milo (the cute doggie on the right) the cutest, cuddly couple of furry people ever? They groom each other and cuddle and wrestle and play. Poor tiger, Sammie is just trying to get used to them. And the three take all my attention.❤️
Two pairs of Two at a time, toe-up socks. The ones on the left are at the arch ribbing. But under them are the homework I’ve assigned myself. The manuscript on the right is chords and scales needed for the basis of jazz or other improvisation. My goal for this year. Progress seems slow. But I trust the process.


Milo volunteered to be the socks background. I finally knitted to the arch ribbing.
Only managed one row on the watermelon socks. Milo shows off the colors.😉

I have to admit that three furry babies take a lot of time and energy. Even when they are the best audience and supportive friends. I’m surprised at my slow progress on everything.

Nothin’ but blue sky…
Shiloh loves music, especially keyboard and piano. This is her before I started my session.

See what I mean?

Sammie is already asleep under the diamond painting table.
Shiloh finally secumbs
Sammie prodding his bed.

So here is the best of my Warts and All. Please don’t feel obligated to listen. I know it’s still way slow and bumpy. I am enjoying learning bluesy songs. Classical is predictable; key signatures make sense, rhythms aren’t wonky. Sure, I still make mistakes but I understand why. Modern, blues, jazz I understand in theory but my hands don’t get it sometimes. It doesn’t flow. Modes instead of major and minor throw me off. The one and three beats of classical are now the second and fourth as main beats. Sorry. A lot of excuses for why I’m not perfect. My purpose of this blog and YouTube is to veer away from perfection that is in our faces everyday. So here is God Bless The Child.

Bless you!


I’m still slowly coming around. I’m still doing little bits of everything. What I’m learning in my old age is how even little bits get the job done. What am I on some kind of race? Just with myself. I just need to be patient.

There are a couple rows I’ve added to these watermelon socks.
I’ve added several rows on this pair. I don’t know why I favor this pair over the watermelon but I’m nearly to the arch ribbing.

While we’re watching local news I use the stationary bike while working on Duolingo. It’s interesting how the exercise my legs helps my brain.

When I move to my Dabbling Den, Chris hops on the bike. He’s working very hard lately.  He went from five minutes to 30 minutes for 5 miles (like I do). We are neck to neck in this gentle race.

I’m averaging about 45 minutes playing and learning improvisation. I try to do my vocal warmups before playing so that when I’m playing something fun I can sing along. These are some of my favs right now.
And Shiloh our black cat wants to make sure I include her song. That white and blue book? The journal I’ve been keeping up for piano and voice.

From around 10:30 Shiloh and Sammie gather in my Den. Shiloh will walk on the piano keys to let me know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve begun to call her ‘Mom’ as she gets insistent about my practice time. Sammie just sleeps in a little bed under my diamond painting table.

As you can see the sunset beach is nearly finished. Just a bit of sky. All the pinks are done. On to the blues.
This made me laugh. Milo is forever jumping and dancing about. He’s always making me laugh. And when he looks at me with his serious brown eyes, I can hear Morgan Freeman’s voice

What a busy but good week.

Sunset beach diamond painting is nearly finished. Just a little piece of sky. (Why did I suddenly hear Yentl in my head?) And I sealed the smiling turtle. As soon as I can I will hang it in my bathroom.
My fingering weight socks are coming along. Not very fast as thin needles and skinny yarn take more caution, time, eye-strain, nimble fingers.
Guess who got a new watch? I’m still learning my way around it. I haven’t figured out how to capture my stationary bike time, distance, or levels. But the work should get reflected in other health numbers.

My new air plants found pinecones for homes.

Some things like the bike are hard to show progress. But my feelings about the tasks should be the quantifiable attainment. The gold star sticker is the happy accomplished feeling.

I’ve been working on “Shilo” on the piano in honor of

Shiloh. She and Sammie find their places in Dar’s Dabbling Den at practice time. I like their company as I stumble through 4 or 5 pieces a day. Once I’m bored with a song it goes by the wayside. But sometimes a song challenges me to the point of playing itself in my sleep.

I keep a practice journal and some pieces shine with my own praise of how well it went, others I actually draw faces sticking out the tongue in raspberries. I keep promising another ‘warts and all’ session. Stagefright keeps stopping me. Soon.

Duolingo is still fun for me. I do it while on the bike as the 11AM local news plays. I think movement while learning helps.

Well here’s to the weekend!😁

A to Z Challenge, Z


There’s a bit of month left over but by meandering through the alphabet I’ve hit Z. No more letters And…

Zero stitches to knit on Chris’s birthday socks!

A quick review of my favorite sock pattern:

Turkish cast-on starts the toe. Increase to width of foot. Work width until nearing the arch. Rib the arch. A couple inches of width-knit. Then start Fleegle Heel. Knit width of ankle for a couple of inches. Then rib desired cuff length. Jeny’s stretchy cast-off finished the sock. You can research this site or YouTube for each of the identified bits of the Chiaogoo Two At A Time Socks.

Now on to the other socks I started earlier but had to put away for the birthday socks. Yay!

Zero angst!


Yay! Yarn! Yet more projects are waiting, yearning for attention.

Finally made it to the cuff! I will finish these this weekend.
Made it to the upper third. This is the time I turn it upside down to work on the top.
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