Sock & Puppet

One of the reasons people say they knit socks from the toes up is so that they can try it on as they go.  I'm here to say that you can try on a cuff down sock as you go too.  I need a couple more inches of foot before starting the toe decreases.






A few months ago LC and I went to a different library for storytime and we played with a box of puppets while waiting for it to start.  LC really liked the puppets so I've been looking around for some nice ones.  I've found some but they're rather pricey, more Santa or birthday present level, so I decided to draw a pattern and make my own.  I had some muslin scraps downstairs and part of a purse lining that I made way too long so I sewed one to the other, cut out my pattern, and got ready to sew.  Then I thought that I should probably put hair on before sewing the front to the back so I found some dark brown yarn in a bin, cut some lengths, and sewed them near the top of the head and again across where I figured the nape of the neck would be, if it had a neck.  I used a Sharpie to draw a face on the front.  I used painter's tape to corral the yarn while sewing the front to the back.  It became clear when I turned it right side out that it's too small for my hands but I figured it'd be just right for LC.  It's nowhere near the best puppet in the land but it'll be a good plaything for a little kid.  (I will be enlarging my pattern to make another one more my size so our puppets can talk to each other.)  Mom used to make a sock puppet with Dad's orphan socks.  She'd cut the toe along the sides and sew a red felt mouth in the opening and two buttons on top for eyes.

October 18--Chip Henderson Photography, Bike Repair.  Hank picked up a wrench from his workbench and looked out at Caleb kneeling in the grass, his upended bicycle in front of him.  It had been years since Hank had worked on a balky gear-shifter and chain.  He knew Caleb thought his grandpa could do anything.  He didn't want to disappoint the boy.  Caleb was still a little shy around his grandfather.  Lana had come home unannounced from the West Coast four months ago.  She had been surplussed out of a job by a merger and things were too expensive out there.  Here in Wisconsin times weren't that much better but at least prices were lower.  Hank hitched up his jeans and strode out onto the lawn.  "Found a wrench," he said, "now let's get this contraption fixed."  "Do you know how?" Caleb asked.  Hank shrugged a shoulder and smiled at the boy.  "Well, not exactly, but I expect two smart guys like us should be able to figure it out."  Two heads, one graying and the other black, leaned over the bike and got to work.

There's almost nothing you can't fix with a wrench and a hammer, oh, and Duct tape.  You probably should have a screwdriver too.  It's a nice sunny day.  I think it's time to walk to the bank.
--Barbara