Vacation Treasures

I just got back from a 2 1/2 week trip to Pennsylvania and Maine to visit relatives. Overall we logged in 3100 miles of driving. I'm definitely glad to be back home.



My family is selling our family home of a hundred years. While cleaning it out they came across a "circular-type knitting machine." Of course, I immediately laid claim to it and identified it as a sock knitting machine. My grandmother claims to have never seen it before and she has lived in the house since the 1940's. Since the machine dates from 1922, I would guess that my great-grandmother had a little side business knitting socks in the 20's. Unfortunately the machine is in poor condition after 80 years in the attic.



The Autoknitter










A Broken Gear Ring










A Broken Cylinder

Although many have suggested that this machine is beyond hope, I am hoping with a couple new parts that it might be usable. It would be nice to have that connection to the past. Any wisdom would be appreciated!

In other news, I visited Halcyon Yarns and purchased a drop spindle and some wool. Not a pretty sight so far but I am hoping to improve with some practice.

Is there room for blogs in the age of Ravelry?

I have not posted in a long time. Partially Ravelry has fulfilled my need to post about my WIP's and my FO's. It also seems that people are not cruising blogs as much now since everyone seems to be cruising Ravelry. I wonder if knitting blogs will not become more of a place to discuss either your personal life and/or a place to post knitting techniques. I don't feel like I have time to post lengthy and witty contents since most of my day is spent chasing around my children. I guess that I will wait and see where this blog goes.


I will include my latest pride and joy though. This is a mitten from Latvian Mittens. If you have seen the cover of the book, it is the black and white mitten in the center of the cover. I have knit is as charted although I believe the mitten was originally supposed to be a man's mitten. I have knit it on 1.50 mm needles to get a smaller mitten. The final gauge was 12 stitches per inch. Finally I blocked it on a bent plastic coated wire hanger. The blocking was perhaps not as severe as I would have liked but it did the job. Now will I ever be brave enough to wear them?