Sock Break

Greetings and Dear Cynthia,

I interrupt this blog to bring you photos from our most recent tie-dying extravaganza. Every year, I ask the boys something like, "What should we get Daddy for his birthday?", and I can always expect the answer to be something along the lines of a tie dye shirt. It isn't because they think their Daddy looks great in a tie dye shirt; their thought process is more along the lines of, "Hey, I think **I** can get a new tie dye shirt out of this deal." In any case, I confess that my thought process isn't very different from theirs. And, each year we get a little better at it. Here are our creations from this year, in "age of owner" order, which puts mine totally last, because, as my kids point out publicly and loudly several times a week, "Mommy is the oldest one in our family."

This year's theme was "sunburst". The boys picked and applied their own colors.

My four year old's shirt (**four and a half**, as he will emphasize to anybody who will listen):My six year old's shirt:My dh's shirt (I picked and applied the colors, with emphasis on using colors that are "not too bright" -- my dh's most comfortable "fashion statement"):My shirt (in which I cheated on the sunburst theme a little bit):In my next post, I'm planning to begin the "Embossed Leaves Socks" from Favorite Socks, except I'll be revising the pattern to knit them from the toe up using the Turkish Cast On. I used to be a firm believer in knitting a sock from the top down, but lately, and I'm very surprised at myself, I think I'm being converted to the toe up approach.

Anyway, I would be happy to be your support group when you cut your first steek, though I make it clear right here and with witnesses that you are completely responsible for the location of said steek, and it is up to **you** to measure four times and cut once.

Regarding Duluth, I made both of the items (two Dale of Norway headbands) I set out to make with my purchase there, and now my six year old son wears the headband. It looks much better on him than it ever did on me, and I think he likes the fact that it matches his Daddy's headband..... You could teach me a thing or two about stash.....though I have been picking up a little on my own :-)

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)