u/sma934

So my best friend is pregnant and naturally I had to knit the baby, whom we are calling Goblin until birth, a blanket. Space/rockets are the theme. I did an inspiration drawing and then charted out the rocket. One side will be take off and the other will be traveling through space. I’m finally done with take off shaping at row 100 and around row 110 I finally start knitting the rocket. It’s become a lot bigger than I intended and I was jugging 8 balls of yarn until I finished the take off clouds.

Once it’s all done I’ll do some duplicate stitching or something similar to do some more details to the clouds and pop some stars in. I wanted to be done mid August, but I’m in the heat at work all day and don’t have the energy to stay on schedule for that. I think it’s been a good four years since I did any knitting, so this has been a good jump back in project. Lots of double stitch to go.

Floor board Friday or Fluffy Butt Friday?

Way too concerned with making it to the general store for my happy hour to remember a FBF picture. I got my weekend ice cream and my waffle cone for the drive home.

Bouie wants to know where his waffle cone is, the Puppy Union has some pretty strong contracts in this house. I’ve countered with Kettle corn.

Please send snacks. Or a portable AC. 111 with the heat index today.

Starting off the new boots right with a can off engine job on a Wrangler. It’s 107 with the heat index, I do not have enough ice cream sandwiches, and I’m ready for a cold shower. I need a fresh pair of socks. Maybe a garden hose. Definitely a dip in the lake.

So it’s been just shy of a month in my new builder pros. Still absolutely loving them. The leather keeps breaking in more and they are super comfortable. Today they got a good clean up for the first time and I was really thrilled with how well they cleaned up for a pair of work boots.

Before and after pictures. Brushed off and then cleaned with saddle soap. Treated with Venetian Leather Balm in Neutral and then bees wax on the heel stack. Let dry, brush. I did two coats on the smooth uppers and three on the waxed flesh.

Week #2 in the new boots!

Three pairs of boots, with another pair ordered.

The OG Builder Pros
They’ve been through a lot and have seen some shit. Several engines, many transmissions, and their fair share of differentials. Emotional support boots for when life gets tough. Made poor life choices on the sole selection and now they are falling apart. They are looking forward to a vacation and getting resoled.
7.5 EE
64 tan rough out, but that’s hard to believe at this point thanks to the work patina
Safety toe
55 last
Custom uppers

Robert’s
My attempt at dialing in my size a little more. Emotional support purchase while in a zoom class one day. Got them on a lightning ship. A little snug, but I wear them with thin socks. Much better length though.
7E
Predator Orange

New Boots, who dis?

Honey on Honey. My honorable mention boots from the contender work championship. So pretty I will feel bad wearing them to work. Big gamble on the size changes, but it paid off and they are my best fitting boots now. Also my best looking boots. I keep spamming my friends with pictures of them. I need a non work pair so I can have a version that stays this good looking all the time.

Builder Pros
7F
Spokane honey over waxed flesh
Honey sole
Safety toe
55 last
Custom uppers

On order

Western Chelsea

I’ve been wanting a more pointy toed boot, but didn’t want another lace up. I love packers, so a pair of Chelsea’s on a packer last made perfect sense. I’ve got so long to wait for them I’m not even keeping track yet. Anticipate them being too pretty to get dirty, but they will get dirty anyways.

DS Carrot
5332 last
7F
Soft toe
V bar sole

Eventually there will be a third pair of work boots on the HNW last so that I can test out how oil resistant the wedge soles actually are. Inquiring minds want to know.

As part of my three day weekend break in, I wore the boots on the afternoon walk with the bears. Boots did well and the dogs approve of them.

It’s a rainy three day weekend, so naturally I went to the store for pizza and Legos to make the boots arrive faster. And they did. Arrived about 10 minutes before I got home. These are the boots I picked after the contender competition.

The build:
10” Builder pros with a safety toe
7F with larger uppers
Spokane honey smooth over waxed flesh
Honey lugs

They fit perfectly. My first pair was a 7.5EE and over time those turned out to be a touch too long and narrow. I learned the hard way that my upper have to be a larger size if I want them to lace. These hit perfect everywhere. I think my bunion could always use more room, but this is such a better fit for my wide feet and I thought my first pair fit well. Most of my toes are actually under the safety toe this time and I can tell I won’t slide forward as they break in. I was so nervous about changing sizes with them being safety toe and needing custom uppers, but it’s really paid off.

The Spokane honey is stunning. They are going to patina beautifully. The waxed flesh for the lowers will be a nice added protection from all the nastiness at my job and it makes for a wonderful contrast to the smooth tan of the honey.

My first pair had a problem with the chemicals and oil of work eating the lugs, and I will note for people who have seen those pictures that these were ordered before the lugs ever got that bad. And then these were very kindly pushed forward to get me in a pair of boots that weren’t falling apart, so there was no order change window to go with an oil resistant sole. Im extremely grateful these got pushed up and I will just keep an eye out for how quickly the soles wear and then swap them over to a red x.

I’m thrilled they made it here a few days early as I now get to start breaking them in over my three day weekend. Once these get broken in I’ll send my old pair off for a resole.

To the team at Nicks, thank you so much. These are wonderful and it means the world to me to have them. I can not wait to work in them.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! They are getting here early. So much for going sailing today. I’ll be at home knitting to Smallville and waiting impatiently for my boots.

Happy anniversary to me! Tomorrow would be my 7th wedding anniversary and also my husband’s birthday. It was going to be an absolutely shitty week week and then I saw the email when I got home from work. Best news I could get all week is that my boots shipped. It feels a little kismet that my contender boots shipped the day before his birthday. 10/10 brought a smile to my face. I’m now going to go eat my feelings in ice cream.

I am so tired. It was 87% humidity and hen I got to work and then I had to pull an engine. Dumped unknown quantities of coolant all over my boots thanks to way too many coolant hoses. Am ready for a nap and new boots. And snacks.

There is no way those aren’t my new boots. OMG. Gonna die of happiness.

Well the boots made it 12 days before the piece of the sole finally ripped completely off. Very thankful for the stitches and screws holding the rest of it together. New boots have not been updated to halfway there, but Im crossing my fingers by the end of the week there will be a status change.

Dog tax paid. Will the Dog Tax get my new boots pictured in BOtL?

AI also thinks I’m complaining and tells me that “this is not a complaint forum. AI clearly can’t read the humor tag I’ve got on this.

I remembered to take a picture while doing a recall flash today. Yay Friday!!

Second pair of work boots are in production. While I wait on those, please enjoy the complete sole separation in the middle of my boots. These are literally held on by some screws and stitches. Glue has failed on both soles.

Taking recommendations for a third work boots build for when my boot budget recovers from the W&C I just ordered. Requirements will be high level of oil resistant and somehow waterproofing the edges. I’d almost be worried about trying a wedge sole as the screws and stitching are the only things making these boots usable.

Will also take guesses for how long the soles on these will last before they fail completely.

Build:

1964 Tan Rough out builder pros. Safety toe. 2x uppers. 10”.

It was a long week and the boots are ready for a break.

I’m gonna need an option to expedite the BPs that are ordered. The vibram 100 lug didn’t make it two years in the shop on my current pair.

Please send help. Will take BPs in a 7F with extra wide uppers. Steel or safety toe preferred.