Monthly Archives: March 2020

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My Cursed Socks

Don’t get me wrong, I love these socks and intend to wear them frequently once it gets cool again, but I really felt like they were cursed as I made them.

Usually I can make a pair of socks in about two weeks. This takes into account working and the limited hours to actually knit during the week, and long knitting sessions on the weekends to make up for it. I really enjoy knitting socks and seeing them come together, but man is it frustrating when things go wrong.

I started these socks in January. At the start things looked good.

img_20200202_161305When I got to the heel, usually my favorite part to knit, I tried a short row heel. Oh, it didn’t work. I followed the pattern, and watched a video or two on how to knit short rows, but it wasn’t coming together for me. So I ripped the heel out and started over, this time with my regular heel flap method. Then I realized as I started the gusset that I forgot to turn my heel – you know, make the little cradle for your heel. Rip out the heel again, only this time, I can’t get the stitches back on my needle right. Deep breath and rip the whole thing out.

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So I started over. I loved the pattern, loved the yarn and loved how the socks were looking, so I just went for it. I don’t know what happened, but I ended up starting over 6 times. There were issues with the cuff, issues with the number of stitches, issues with dropping stitches and issues with loosing my place in the pattern. But I persisted and I ended up – finally – with a complete sock . . . that was too small. I inadvertently went down both a size for the sock and a needle size. I had intended to do one or the other and somehow did both, so now I had a completed sock that I could not get on my foot.

This is when I took a break. I just couldn’t do it again right away, so I went for the slipper socks as a nice diversion and to get my knitting mojo back. It worked and when I started again, I was in a much better place. I did end up starting over twice more, but in the end, they came out great and fit really well. They are put away for the time being (it is already 90 here). The lesson I’m taking from these is persistence pays off . . . and know when to step back for a little while to get perspective.

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Bedrock Wirz Riesling

  • Producer: Bedrock Wine Company
  • Location: Cienega Valley, CA (grapes from here, winery in Sonoma)
  • Year: 2018
  • Price estimate: $22 from winery
  • Tasting notes: Dark straw in the glass. Notes of apple cider and petrol on the nose with a little green grape. Tastes of melon, apple, and lime. Finish is long with a little vanilla and citrus.
  • Conclusions: Beautiful, easy drinking wine. This is one of those wines that reminds me why I have way to much Bedrock wine in my house. Every bottle is fantastic and both easy to drink and complex at the same time. I could have sat for hours sipping and parsing flavors, but it is just as easy to sit and enjoy good wine, food and conversation with friends with this wine. Not sweet at all, but just enough to balance the high acidity that riesling is known for.
  • Notes: Usually I get my Bedrock wine during their allocation period a few times a year. This is one of the wines I got sometime last year. It is also a wine we picked up when we were at the tasting room in July. I had forgotten what I ordered earlier in the summer, and just loved this so much while we were there, we got a few bottles. When all the shipments came in together in December, we had double the riesling, which made me very happy indeed.
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Bathroom Renovation part 4 – Almost Done

I our initial plan/timeline for the bathroom renovation, spring break was going to be the time for me to just enjoy the completed project. Maybe get a few things like new towels and rugs, but the actual renovation would be complete.

Unfortunately due to a few delays (wrong cabinet which delayed the counter measurements and glass fabrication) the bathroom is not done yet. It is usable at this point (yay!) but not complete. We have the glass for the shower to be installed and a few minor things to fix/adjust. Now with the virus and social distancing and limiting contact I’m not sure how that is going to impact the bathroom, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a worry.

The counter with the sinks went in, as did the matching window sill and the end cap for the half wall by the shower, faucets, mirrors and lights went in next and Bob and I added a privacy film to the window. Outlets and light switches got their covers back and we are now in holding mode. It looks good and is usable so we’ve moved our stuff back in and have begin working out the little things – like where to hang towels and who gets what drawer.

img_20200306_063948I’m hoping the final touches will be done soon, but if they aren’t, that’s okay. Whenever it gets done it will be great. The bathroom feels so much bigger now, and the shower is just lovely. I’m still gaga over the tile, especially the shower floor tile. Even Alinea likes it, I think.

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Slipper-ish socks

At the end of January I cast on a pair of socks that seemed pretty straight forward. Two weeks in I began referring to those socks as the cursed socks. Progress was not going well and I was getting frustrated and feeling not so great about knitting in general, so I decided to take a break from those and knit myself a nice, warm, thick pair of slipper type socks.

I used the purple wool that we picked up in Scotland years ago. It’s thick, warm and knits up really neatly so I thought this would be perfect yarn for slippers. I made my first attempt at toe-up socks and tried a new type of heel. Sock one came together quickly and the heel actually worked for me. (Sweet tomato heel for those who knit socks.)

In short order, I had two pretty darn good looking, well fitting, warm and cozy socks. I was so happy to have a completed knit again and my knitting mojo back.

Once these were done I did go back to the cursed socks. This go around is a little better, but there are still issues I’m working out. Hopefully they will be done soon, but in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my new socks.

 

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2012 Five Vines

  • Producer: Viszlay Vineyards
  • Location: Sonoma, California
  • Year: 2012
  • Price estimate: $54 (we did not pay that much for the bottle)
  • Tasting notes: Ruby red in color with a touch of pink at the edges. Aromas of dark berry, raspberry, bramble and cut grass. (Yes, in a red.) Very smooth on the palate with notes of black cherry, chocolate, raspberry, tootsie roll and a little herb note with some forest floor (but not unpleasant). Very nice chocolate finish.
  • Conclusions: Excellent wine. This bottle was incredible – even better than the bottle we opened before and surprisingly better than the bottle we tasted at the vineyard last summer.
  • Notes: This was one of our pick ups from our trip to Sonoma last summer. We loved this wine and I almost pegged it as a Cab Franc, but it is a blend with varietals I don’t usually enjoy – Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah etc. But this … oh this was just amazing. Super smooth and so much depth of flavor. This is why I drink wine.